
Class 
Book 



' -i 



.1^ 



A 5.2j 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




INDIAN WHY STORIES 





.^jsr, 



"Yes — the ^Mirc-pidpU' always make their nests in the heads of the 
dead Buffalo-people, ever since that night" 

{Page 71) 



INDIAN WHY 
STORIES 

SPARKS FROM WAR^ 
EAGLE'S LODGE-FIRE 

FRANK B. LINDERMAN 

JCb ^"SKEE • SEE - CO • COT] 







CHARLES M. RUSSELL 

[CAH-NE'TA'WAH- SEE- NA- E - KET] 



CHARLES SCRIE)NER:S SONS 



NEW YOILK 



J9J^5^ 



■£^^q 









CopYRir.nT, 1915, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 



Published September, 1915 




SEP 301915 

©CI,A410695 




I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE BOOK TO MY FRIEND 

CHARLES M. RUSSELL 

THE COWBOY ARTIST 

GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL 

THE Indian's friend 

AND TO ALL OTHERS WHO HAVE KNOWN AND LOVED OLD MONTANA 

FOR I HOLD THEM ALL AS KIN 

WHO HAVE BUILDED FIRES WHERE NATURE 

WEARS NO MAKE-UP ON HER SKIN 



S(, 



PREFACE 

The great Northwest — that wonderful fron- 
tier that called to itself a world's hardiest 
spirits — is rapidly becoming a settled country; 
and before the light of civilizing influences, 
the blanket-Indian has trailed the buffalo over 
the divide that time has set between the pioneer 
and the crowd. With his passing we have lost 
much of the aboriginal folk-lore, rich in its 
fairy-like characters, and its relation to the 
lives of a most warlike people. 

There is a wide difference between folk-lore 
of the so-called Old World and that of America. 
Transmitted orally through countless genera- 
tions, the folk-stories of our ancestors show 
many evidences of distortion and of change in 
material particulars; but the Indian seems to 
have been too fond of nature and too proud of 



PREFACE 

tradition to have forgotten or changed the 
teachings of his forefathers. Childlike in sim- 
plicity, beginning with creation itself, and 
reaching to the whys and wherefores of nature's 
moods and eccentricities, these tales impress 
me as being well worth saving. 

The Indian has always been a lover of nature 
and a close observer of her many moods. The 
habits of the birds and animals, the voices of 
the winds and waters, the flickering of the 
shadows, and the mystic radiance of the moon- 
light — all appealed to him. Gradually, he for- 
mulated within himself fanciful reasons for the 
myriad manifestations of the Mighty Mother 
and her many children; and a poet by instinct, 
he framed odd stories with which to convey his 
explanations to others. And these stories were 
handed down from father to son, with little 
variation, through countless generations, until 
the white man slaughtered the buffalo, took to 



PREFACE 

himself the open country, and left the red man 
little better than a beggar. But the tribal 
story-teller has passed, and only here and there 
is to be found a patriarch who loves the legends 
of other days. 

Old-man, or Napa, as he is called by the 
tribes of Blackfeet, is the strangest character 
in Indian folk-lore. Sometimes he appears as 
a god or creator, and again as a fool, a thief, or 
a clown. But to the Indian, Napa is not the 
Deity; he occupies a somewhat subordinate 
position, possessing many attributes which have 
sometimes caused him to be confounded with 
Manitou, himself. In all of this there is a curi- 
ous echo of the teachings of the ancient Aryans, 
whose belief it was that this earth was not the 
direct handiwork of the Almighty, but of a 
mere member of a hierarchy of subordinate gods. 
The Indian possesses the highest veneration for 
the Great God, who has become familiar to the 
readers of Indian literature as Manitou. No 



PREFACE 

idle tales are told of Him, nor would any Indian 
mention Him irreverently. But with Napa it 
is entirely different; he appears entitled to no 
reverence; he is a strange mixture of the fal- 
lible human and the powerful under-god. He 
made many mistakes; was seldom to be trusted; 
and his works and pranks run from the sub- 
lime to the ridiculous. In fact, there are many 
stories in which Napa figures that will not 
bear telling at all. 

I propose to tell what I know of these legends, 
keeping as near as possible to the Indian's 
style of story-telling, and using only tales told 
me by the older men of the Blackfeet, Chip- 
pewa, and Cree tribes. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Why the Chipmunk's Back is Striped . . 3 

How the Ducks Got Their Fine Feathers 17 

Why the Kingfisher Always Wears a 

War-Bonnet 27 

Why the Curlew's Bill is Long and 

Crooked 37 

Old-Man Remakes the World 47 

Why Blackfeet Never Kill Mice ... 65 

How the Otter Skin Became Great "Medi- 
cine" 75 

Old-Man Steals the Sun's Leggings . . 91 

Old-Man and His Conscience 105 

Old-Man's Treachery 117 

Why the Night-Hawk's Wings are Beau- 
tiful 127 

Why THE Mountain-Lion is Long and Lean 137 

The Fire-Leggings 151 

xi 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Moon and the Great Snake . . . 159 

Why the Deer Has no Gall 167 

Why Indians Whip the Buffalo-Berries 

FROM the Bushes 175 

Old-Man and the Fox 185 

Why the Birch-Tree Wears the Slashes 

IN Its Bark 199 

Mistakes of Old-Man 207 

How the Man Found His Mate . . . . 213 

Dreams 221 

Retrospection 233 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



BY CHARLES M. RUSSELL 



« Yes— the Mice-people always make their nests in the 
heads of the dead Buffalo-people, ever since that _ 
• 1^1^)) Frontispiece 

FACWG PAGE 

"The Person was full of arrows, and he was pulling 

them from his ugly body" ^ ' 

"Then she sang a queer song over and over again until 

the Young-man had learned it well" 7o 

"'I am sorry for you,' said the White Beaver— Chief 

of all the Beavers in the world" 80 

"'Smoke,' said OW-man, and passed the pipe to his 

visitor" ^^' 

ujlo!- when the ghost-people saw the Unlucky-one 

they rushed at him with many lances" .... 86 

"This big Snake used to crawl up a high hill and watch 

the Moon in the sky" ^°° 

"He went up on the steep hillside and commenced to 

roll big rocks down upon her lodge" 216 

Also the illustrations in colors on the cover and the title- 
page, and the black and white drawings m the text. 



xm 



INTRODUCTION 

It was the moon when leaves were falling, 
for Napa had finished painting them for their 
dance with the North wind. Just over the 
ragged mountain range the big moon hung in 
an almost starless sky, and in shadowy outline 
every peak lay upon the plain like a giant pat- 
tern. Slowly the light spread and as slowly 
the shadows stole away until the October moon 
looked down on the great Indian camp — a hun- 
dred lodges, each as perfect in design as the 
tusks of a young silver-tip, and all looking 
ghostly white in the still of the autumn night. 

Back from the camp, keeping within the 
ever-moving shadows, a buffalo-wolf skulked 
to a hill overlooking the scene, where he stopped 
to look and listen, his body silhouetted against 



INTRODUCTION 

the sky. A dog howled occasionally, and the 
weird sound of a tom-tom accompanying the 
voice of a singer in the Indian village reached 
the wolf's ears, but caused him no alarm; for 
not until a great herd of ponies, under the eyes 
of the night-herder, drifted too close, did he 
steal away. 

Near the centre of the camp was the big 
painted lodge of War Eagle, the medicine-man, 
and inside had gathered his grandchildren, to 
whom he was telling the stories of the creation 
and of the strange doings of Napa, the creator. 
Being a friend of the old historian, I entered un- 
hindered, and with the children Hstened until 
the hour grew late, and on the lodge-wall the 
dying fire made warning shadows dance. 




WHY THE CHIPMUNK'S BACK IS 
STRIPED 



WHY THE CHIPMUNK'S BACK IS 
STRIPED 

TX 7HAT a splendid lodge it was, and how 
^ ^ grand War Eagle looked leaning against 
his back-rest in the firelight ! From the tri- 
pod that supported the back-rest were sus- 
pended his weapons and his medicine-bundle, 
each showing the wonderful skill of the maker. 
The quiver that held the arrows was combined 
with a case for the bow, and colored quills of 
the porcupine had been deftly used to make it 
a thing of beauty. All about the lodge hung 
the strangely painted linings, and the fire- 
light added richness to both color and design. 
War Eagle's hair was white, for he had known 
many snows; but his eyes were keen and bright 
as a boy's, as he gazed in pride at his grand- 
children across the lodge-fire. He was wise, 
and had been in many battles, for his was a 

3 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

warlike tribe. He knew all about the world 
and the people in it. He was deeply religious, 
and every Indian child loved him for his good- 
ness and brave deeds. 

About the fire were Little Buffalo Calf, a 
boy of eleven years; Eyes-in-the- Water, his 
sister, a girl of nine; Fine Bow, a cousin of 
these, aged ten, and Bluebird, his sister, who 
was but eight years old. 

Not a sound did the children make while 
the old warrior filled his great pipe, and only 
the snapping of the lodge-fire broke the still- 
ness. Solemnly War Eagle lit the tobacco 
that had been mixed with the dried inner bark 
of the red willow, and for several minutes 
smoked in silence, while the children's eyes 
grew large with expectancy. Finally he spoke: 

**Napa, Old-msLn, is very old indeed. He 
made this world, and all that is on it. He 
came out of the south, and travelled toward 
the north, making the birds and animals as 
he passed. He made the perfumes for the 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

winds to carry about, and he even made the 
war-paint for the people to use. He was a 
busy worker, but a great liar and thief, as I 
shall show you after I have told you more 
about him. It was Old-man who taught the 
beaver all his cunning. It was Old-man who 
told the bear to go to sleep when the snow grew 
deep in winter, and it was he who made the 
curlew's bill so long and crooked, although it 
was not that way at first. Old-man used to 
live on this world with the animals and birds. 
There was no other man or woman then, and 
he was chief over all the animal-people and 
the bird-people. He could speak the lan- 
guage of the robin, knew the words of the 
bear, and understood the sign-talk of the 
beaver, too. He lived with the wolves, for 
they are the great hunters. Even to-day we 
make the same sign for a smart man as we 
make for the wolf; so you see he taught them 
much while he lived with them. Old-man 
made a great many mistakes in making things, 

5 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

as I shall show you after a while ; yet he worked 
until he had everything good. But he often 
made great mischief and taught many wicked 
things. These I shall tell you about some 
day. Everybody was afraid of Old-msin and 
his tricks and lies — even the animal-people, 
before he made men and women. He used to 
visit the lodges of our people and make trouble 
long ago, but he got so wicked that Manitou 
grew angry at him, and one day in the month 
of roses, he built a lodge for Old-ma.n and told 
him that he must stay in it forever. Of course 
he had to do that, and nobody knows where 
the lodge was built, nor in what country, but 
that is why we never see him as our grand- 
fathers did, long, long ago. 

"What I shall tell you now happened when 
the world was young. It was a fine sum- 
mer day, and Old-man was travelling in the 
forest. He was going north and straight as 
an arrow — looking at nothing, hearing noth- 
ing. No one knows what he was after, to 

6 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

this day. The birds and forest-people spoke 
politely to him as he passed but he answered 
none of them. The Pine-squirrel, who is al- 
ways trying to find out other people's business, 
asked him where he was going, but 0/^-man 
wouldn't tell him. The woodpecker hammered 
on a dead tree to make him look that way, 
but he wouldn't. The Elk-people and the Deer- 
people saw him pass, and all said that he 
must be up to some mischief or he would stop 
and talk a while. The pine-trees murmured, 
and the bushes whispered their greeting, but 
he kept his eyes straight ahead and went on 
travelling. 

"The sun was low when Old-msn heard a 
groan" (here War Eagle groaned to show the 
children how it sounded), ''and turning about 
he saw a warrior lying bruised and bleeding 
near a spring of cold water. Old-man knelt 
beside the man and asked : * Is there war in this 
country ? ' 

"'Yes,' answered the man. *This whole 

7 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

day long we have fought to kill a Person, but 
we have all been killed, I am afraid.' 

"'That is strange,' said Old-rmn; 'how can 
one Person kill so many men? Who is this 
Person, tell me his name ! ' but the man didn't 
answer — he was dead. When OW-man saw 
that life had left the wounded man, he drank 
from the spring, and went on toward the north, 
but before long he heard a noise as of men 
fighting, and he stopped to look and listen. 
Finally he saw the bushes bend and sway near 
a creek that flowed through the forest. He 
crawled toward the spot, and peering through 
the brush saw a great Person near a pile of 
dead men, with his back against a pine-tree. 
The Person was full of arrows, and he was 
pulling them from his ugly body. Calmly the 
Person broke the shafts of the arrows, tossed 
them aside, and stopped the blood flow with 
a brush of his hairy hand. His head was 
large and fierce-looking, and his eyes were 
small and wicked. His great body was larger 




"The rcrson was full of arrows, and he was puUing them from his 

ugly body" 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

than that of a buffalo-bull and covered with 
scars of many battles. 

''Old-man went to the creek, and with his 
buffalo-horn cup brought some water to the 
Person, asking as he approached: 

*'*Who are you. Person? Tell me, so I 
can make you a fine present, for you are great 

in war.' 

"*I am Bad Sickness,' replied the Person. 
'Tribes I have met remember me and always 
will, for their bravest warriors are afraid when I 
make war upon them. I come in the night or 
I visit their camps in daylight. It is always the 
same; they are frightened and I kill them easily.' 

" 'Ho!' said O/c^-man, 'tell me how to make 
Bad Sickness, for I often go to war myself.' 
He lied; for he was never in a battle in his life. 
The Person shook his ugly head and then Old- 
man said: 

'"If you will tell me how to make Bad Sick- 
ness I will make you small and handsome. 
When you are big, as you now are, it is very 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

hard to make a living; but when you are small, 
little food will make you fat. Your living 
will be easy because I will make your food 
grow everywhere.' 

*''Good,' said the Person, *I will do it; 
you must kill the fawns of the deer and the 
calves of the elk when they first begin to live. 
When you have killed enough of them you 
must make a robe of their skins. Whenever 
you wear that robe and sing — "now you sicken, 
now you sicken," the sickness will come — 
that is all there is to it. ' 

"'Good,' said Old-man, 'now lie down to 
sleep and I will do as I promised.' 

"The Person went to sleep and Old-man 
breathed upon him until he grew so tiny that 
he laughed to see how small he had made him. 
Then he took out his paint sack and striped 
the Person's back with black and yellow. It 
looked bright and handsome and he waked the 
Person, who was now a tiny animal with a 
bushy tail to make him pretty. 

10 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'Now,' said Old-rmn, 'you are the Chip- 
munk, and must always wear those striped 
clothes. All of your children and their chil- 
dren, must wear them, too.' 

"After the Chipmunk had looked at him- 
self, and thanked 0/^-man for his new clothes, 
he wanted to know how he could make his 
living, and O/^Z-man told him what to eat, and 
said he must cache the pine-nuts when the 
leaves turned yellow, so he would not have 
to work in the winter time. 

"'You are a cousin to the Pine-squirrel,' 
said Old-msn, 'and you will hunt and hide as 
he does. You will be spry and your living will 
be easy to make if you do as I have told you. ' 

"He taught the Chipmunk his language 
and his signs, showed him where to live, and 
then left him, going on toward the north again. 
He kept looking for the cow-elk and doe-deer, 
and it was not long before he had killed enough 
of their young to make the robe as the Person 
told him, for they were plentiful before the 

11 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

white man came to live on the world. He 
found a shady place near a creek, and there 
made the robe that would make Bad Sick- 
ness whenever he sang the queer song, but 
the robe was plain, and brown in color. He 
didn't like the looks of it. Suddenly he thought 
how nice the back of the Chipmunk looked 
after he had striped it with his paints. He 
got out his old paint sack and with the same 
colors made the robe look very much like 
the clothes of the Chipmunk. He was proud 
of the work, and liked the new robe better; 
but being lazy, he wanted to save himself 
work, so he sent the South-wind to tell all 
the doe-deer and the cow-elk to come to him. 
They came as soon as they received the mes- 
sage, for they were afraid of 0/^-man and 
always tried to please him. When they had 
all reached the place where Old-man was he 
said to them: 

'"Do you see this robe?' 

"'Yes, we see it,' they replied. 

12 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"*Well, I have made it from the skins of 
your children, and then painted it to look 
like the Chipmunk's back, for I like the looks 
of that Person's clothes. I shall need many 
more of these robes during my life; and every 
time I make one, I don't want to have to spend 
my time painting it; so from now on and for- 
ever your children shall be born in spotted 
clothes. I want it to be that way to save me 
work. On all the fawns there must be spots 
of white like this (here he pointed to the spots 
on Bad Sickness's robe) and on all of the elk- 
calves the spots shall not be so white and 
shall be in rows and look rather yellow. ' Again 
he showed them his robe, that they might see 
just what he wanted. 

"'Remember,' he said, 'after this I don't 
want to see any of your children running about 
wearing plain clothing, because that would 
mean more painting for me. Now go away, 
and remember what I have said, lest I make 
you sick.' 

13 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"The cow-elk and the doe-deer were glad 
to know that their children's clothes would 
be beautiful, and they went away to their 
little ones who were hidden in the tall grass, 
where the wolves and mountain-lions would 
have a hard time finding them; for you know 
that in the tracks of the fawn there is no scent, 
and the wolf cannot trail him when he is alone. 
That is the way Manitou takes care of the 
weak, and all of the forest-people know about 
it, too. 

"Now you know why the Chipmunk's back 
is striped, and why the fawn and elk-calf wear 
their pretty clothes. 

"I hear the owls, and it is time for all young 
men who will some day be great warriors to 
go to bed, and for all young women to seek 
rest, lest beauty go away forever. Ho!" 



14 



m 

vi 

ST 




HOW THE DUCKS GOT THEIR FINE 
FEATHERS 



HOW THE DUCKS GOT THEIR FINE 
FEATHERS 

ANOTHER night had come, and I made 
^ my way toward War Eagle's lodge. In 
the bright moonlight the dead leaves of the 
quaking-aspen fluttered down whenever the 
wind shook the trees; and over the village 
great flocks of ducks and geese and swan passed 
in a never-ending procession, calling to each 
other in strange tones as they sped away toward 
the waters that never freeze. 

In the lodge War Eagle waited for his grand- 
children, and when they had entered, happily, 
he laid aside his pipe and said: 

"The Duck-people are travelling to-night 
just as they have done since the world was 
young. They are going away from winter 
because they cannot make a living when ice 
covers the rivers. 

17 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

**You have seen the Duck-people often. 
You have noticed that they wear fine clothes 
but you do not know how they got them; so 
I will tell you to-night. 

"It was in the fall when leaves are yellow 
that it happened, and long, long ago. The 
Duck-people had gathered to go away, just as 
they are doing now. The buck-deer was com- 
ing down from the high ridges to visit friends 
in the lowlands along the streams as they have 
always done. On a lake Old-man saw the 
Duck-people getting ready to go away, and 
at that time they all looked alike; that is, they 
all wore the same colored clothes. The loons 
and the geese and the ducks were there and 
playing in the sunlight. The loons were laugh- 
ing loudly and the diving was fast and merry 
to see. On the hill where Old-man stood there 
was a great deal of moss, and he began to tear 
it from the ground and roll it into a great ball. 
When he had gathered all he needed he shoul- 
dered the load and started for the shore of 

18 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the lake, staggering under the weight of the 
great burden. Finally the Duck-people saw 
him coming with his load of moss and began 
to swim away from the shore. 

"'Wait, my brothers!' he called, *I have a 
big load here, and I am going to give you 
people a dance. Come and help me get things 
ready. ' 

" * Don't you do it, ' said the gray goose to 
the others; 'that's Old-man and he is up to 
something bad, I am sure. ' 

"So the loon called to Old-man and said 
they wouldn't help him at all. 

"Right near the water Old-man dropped his 
ball of moss and then cut twenty long poles. 
With the poles he built a lodge which he covered 
with the moss, leaving a doorway facing the 
lake. Inside the lodge he built a fire and 
when it grew bright he cried: 

"'Say, brothers, why should you treat me 
this way when I am here to give you a big 
dance? Come into the lodge,' but they 

19 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

wouldn't do that. Finally OW-man began to 
sing a song in the duck-talk, and keep time 
with his drum. The Duck-people liked the 
music, and swam a little nearer to the shore, 
watching for trouble all the time, but Old- 
man sang so sweetly that pretty soon they 
waddled up to the lodge and went inside. 
The loon stopped near the door, for he be- 
lieved that what the gray goose had said was 
true, and that 0/^-man was up to some mis- 
chief. The gray goose, too, was careful to 
stay close to the door but the ducks reached 
all about the fire. Politely, OW-man passed 
the pipe, and they all smoked with him be- 
cause it is wrong not to smoke in a person's 
lodge if the pipe is offered, and the Duck- 
people knew that. 

"'Well,* said Old-vmn, 'this is going to be 
the Blind-dance, but you will have to be painted 
first. 

"'Brother Mallard, name the colors — tell 
how you want me to paint you. * 

20 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'Well,' replied the mallard drake, 'paint 
my head green, and put a white circle around 
my throat, like a necklace. Besides that, I 
want a brown breast and yellow legs; but I 
don't want my wife painted that way. ' 

"Old-man painted him just as he asked, 
and his wife, too. Then the teal and the 
wood-duck (it took a long time to paint the 
wood-duck) and the spoonbill and the blue- 
bill and the canvasback and the goose and 
the brant and the loon — all chose their paint. 
Old-man painted them all just as they wanted 
him to, and kept singing all the time. They 
looked very pretty in the firelight, for it was 
night before the painting was done. 

"'Now,' said Old-man, 'as this is the Blind- 
dance, when I beat upon my drum you must 
all shut your eyes tight and circle around the 
fire as I sing. Every one that peeks will have 
sore eyes forever.' 

"Then the Duck-people shut their eyes and 
Old-man began to sing: 'Now you come, ducks, 

21 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

now you come — tum-tum, turn; tum-tum, 
turn.' 

"Around the fire they came with their eyes 
still shut, and as fast as they reached Old-msn, 
the rascal would seize them, and wring their 
necks. Ho! things were going fine for Old- 
man, but the loon peeked a little, and saw 
what was going on; several others heard the 
fluttering and opened their eyes, too. The 
loon cried out, * He 's killing us — let us fly, ' 
and they did that. There was a great squawk- 
ing and quacking and fluttering as the Duck- 
people escaped from the lodge. Ho! but Old- 
man was angry, and he kicked the back of 
the loon-duck, and that is why his feet turn 
from his body when he walks or tries to stand. 
Yes, that is why he is a cripple to-day. 

"And all of the Duck-people that peeked 
that night at the dance still have sore eyes — 
just as Old-man told them they would have. 
Of course they hurt and smart no more but 
they stay red to pay for peeking, and always 

22 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

will. You have seen the mallard and the 
rest of the Duck-people. You can see that 
the colors OW-man painted so long ago are 
still bright and handsome, and they will stay 
that way forever and forever. Ho!" 



28 




WHY THE KINGFISHER ALWAYS 
WEARS A WAR-BONNET 




WHY THE KINGFISHER ALWAYS 
WEARS A WAR-BONNET 

AUTUMN nights on the upper Missouri 
■ river in Montana are indescribably beau- 
tiful, and under their spell imagination is a 
constant companion to him who lives in wil- 
derness, lending strange, weird echoes to the 
voice of man or wolf, and unnatural shapes 
in shadow to commonplace forms. 

The moon had not yet climbed the distant 
mountain range to look down on the humbler 
lands when I started for War Eagle's lodge; and 
dimming the stars in its course, the milky- 
way stretched across the jewelled sky. "The 
wolf's trail," the Indians call this filmy streak 
that foretells fair weather, and to-night it 
promised much, for it seemed plainer and 
brighter than ever before. 

"How — how!" greeted War Eagle, making 

27 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the sign for me to be seated near him, as I 
entered his lodge. Then he passed me his 
pipe and together we smoked until the chil- 
dren came. 

Entering quietly, they seated themselves in 
exactly the same positions they had occupied 
on the previous evenings, and patiently waited 
in silence. Finally War Eagle laid the pipe 
away and said: "Ho! Little Buffalo Calf, 
throw a big stick on the fire and I will tell 
you why the Kingfisher wears a war-bonnet." 

The boy did as he was bidden. The sparks 
jumped toward the smoke-hole and the blaze 
lighted up the lodge until it was bright as day- 
time, when War Eagle continued: 

"You have often seen Kingfisher at his fish- 
ing along the rivers, I know; and you have 
heard him laugh in his queer way, for he laughs 
a good deal when he flies. That same laugh 
nearly cost him his life once, as you will see. 
I am sure none could see the Kingfisher without 
noticing his great head-dress, but not many 

28 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

know how he came by it because it happened 
so long ago that most men have forgotten. 

"It was one day in the winter-time when 
OW-man and the Wolf were hunting. The 
snow covered the land and ice was on all of the 
rivers. It was so cold that Old-man wrapped 
his robe close about himself and his breath 
showed white in the air. Of course the Wolf 
was not cold; wolves never get cold as men 
do. Both Old-ma.n and the Wolf were hungry 
for they had travelled far and had killed no 
meat. Old-man was complaining and grum- 
bling, for his heart is not very good. It is 
never well to grumble when we are doing our 
best, because it will do no good and makes us 
weak in our hearts. When our hearts are 
weak our heads sicken and our strength goes 
away. Yes, it is bad to grumble. 

"When the sun was getting low Old-man 
and the Wolf came to a great river. On the 
ice that covered the water, they saw four fat 
Otters playing. 

29 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'There is meat,' said the Wolf; 'wait here 
and I will try to catch one of those fellows. ' 

"'No! — No!' cried Old-man, 'do not run 
after the Otter on the ice, because there are 
air-holes in all ice that covers rivers, and you 
may fall in the water and die.' Old-man 
didn't care much if the Wolf did drown. He 
was afraid to be left alone and hungry in the 
snow — that was all. 

"'Ho!' said the Wolf, 'I am swift of foot 
and my teeth are white and sharp. What 
chance has an Otter against me? Yes, I will 
go,' and he did. 

"Away ran the Otters with the Wolf after 
them, while Old-man stood on the bank and 
shivered with fright and cold. Of course the 
Wolf was faster than the Otter, but he was 
running on the ice, remember, and slipping 
a good deal. Nearer and nearer ran the Wolf. 
In fact he was just about to seize an Otter, 
when SPLASH ! — into an air-hole all the 
Otters went. Ho! the Wolf was going so fast 

30 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

he couldn't stop, and SWOW! into the air- 
hole he went like a badger after mice, and the 
current carried him under the ice. The Otters 
knew that hole was there. That was their 
country and they were running to reach that 
same hole all the time, but the Wolf didn't 
know that. 

''Old-man saw it all and began to cry and 
wail as women do. Ho! but he made a great 
fuss. He ran along the bank of the river, 
stumbling in the snowdrifts, and crying like 
a woman whose child is dead; but it was be- 
cause he didn't want to be left in that coun- 
try alone that he cried — not because he 
loved his brother, the Wolf. On and on he 
ran until he came to a place where the water 
was too swift to freeze, and there he waited and 
watched for the Wolf to come out from under 
the ice, crying and wailing and making an 
awful noise, for a man. 

"Well — right there is where the thing hap- 
pened. You see, Kingfisher can't fish through 

31 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the ice and he knows it, too; so he always 
finds places like the one Old-man found. He 
was there that day, sitting on the limb of a 
birch-tree, watching for fishes, and when Old- 
man came near to Kingfisher's tree, crying 
like an old woman, it tickled the Fisher so 
much that he laughed that queer, chattering 
laugh. 

"Old-rmn heard him and — Ho! but he was 
angry. He looked about to see who was 
laughing at him and that made Kingfisher 
laugh again, longer and louder than before. 
This time 0/^-man saw him and SWOW! he 
threw his war-club at Kingfisher; tried to kill 
the bird for laughing. Kingfisher ducked so 
quickly that 0/^-man's club just grazed the 
feathers on his head, making them stand up 
straight. 

'** There,* said Old-rmn, 'I'll teach you to 
laugh at me when I 'm sad. Your feathers are 
standing up on the top of your head now 
and they will stay that way, too. As long 

32 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

as you live you must wear a head-dress, to 
pay for your laughing, and all your children 
must do the same. 

"This was long, long ago, but the King- 
fishers have not forgotten, and they all wear 
war-bonnets, and always will as long as there 
are Kingfishers. 

**Now I will say good night, and when 
the sun sleeps again I will tell you why the 
curlew's bill is so long and crooked. Ho!" 



33 




WHY THE CURLEW'S BILL IS LONG 
AND CROOKED 



WHY THE CURLEW'S BILL IS LONG 
AND CROOKED 

WHEN we reached War Eagle's lodge 
we stopped near the door, for the old 
fellow was singing — singing some old, sad 
song of younger days and keeping time with 
his tom-tom. Somehow the music made me 
sad and not until it had ceased, did we enter. 

"How! How!" — he greeted us, with no 
trace of the sadness in his voice that I de- 
tected in his song. 

"You have come here to-night to learn why 
the Curlew's bill is so long and crooked. I 
will tell you, as I promised, but first I must 
smoke." 

In silence we waited until the pipe was laid 
aside, then War Eagle began: 

"By this time you know that 0/^-man was 
not always wise, even if he did make the 

37 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

world, and all that is on it. He often got into 
trouble but something always happened to 
get him out of it. What I shall tell you now 
will show you that it is not well to try to do 
things just because others do them. They 
may be right for others, and wrong for us, but 
Old-man didn't understand that, you see. 

**One day he saw some mice playing and 
went near to watch them. It was spring- 
time, and the frost was just coming out of 
the ground. A big flat rock was sticking 
out of a bank near a creek, and the sun had 
melted the frost from the earth about it, loos- 
ening it, so that it was about to fall. The Chief - 
Mouse would sing a song, while all the other 
mice danced, and then the chief would cry 
'now!' and all the mice would run past the 
big rock. On the other side, the Chief-Mouse 
would sing again, and then say 'now!' — back 
they would come — -right under the danger- 
ous rock. Sometimes little bits of dirt would 
crumble and fall near the rock, as though 

88 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

warning the mice that the rock was going to 
fall, but they paid no attention to the warn- 
ing, and kept at their playing. Finally Old- 
man said: 

"'Say, Chief-Mouse, I want to try that. 
I want to play that game. I am a good run- 
ner.' 

"He wasn't, you know, but he thought he 
could run. That is often where we make 
great mistakes — when we try to do things 
we were not intended to do. 

"*No — no!' cried the Chief-Mouse, as Old- 
man prepared to make the race past the rock. 
'No! — No! — you will shake the ground. 
You are too heavy, and the rock may fall and 
kill you. My people are light of foot and 
fast. We are having a good time, but if you 
should try to do as we are doing you might 
get hurt, and that would spoil our fun.' 

"'Ho!' said 0/</-man, 'stand back! I'll 
show you what a runner I am. ' 

"He ran like a grizzly bear, and shook the 

39 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

ground with his weight. Swow ! — came the 
great rock on top of Old-msn and held him 
fast in the mud. My ! how he screamed and 
called for aid. All the Mice-people ran away 
to find help. It was a long time before the 
Mice-people found anybody, but they finally 
found the Coyote, and told him what had 
happened. Coyote didn't like Old-rmn very 
much, but he said he would go and see what 
he could do, and he did. The Mice-people 
showed him the way, and when they all reached 
the spot — there was 0/^-man deep in the 
mud, with the big rock on his back. He was 
angry and was saying things people should not 
say, for they do no good and make the mind 
wicked. 

** Coyote said: 'Keep still, you big baby. 
Quit kicking about so. You are splashing 
mud in my eyes. How can I see with my eyes 
full of mud? Tell me that. I am going to 
try to help you out of your trouble.' He 
tried but Old-man insulted Coyote, and called 

40 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

him a name that is not good, so the Coyote 
said, 'Well, stay there,' and went away. 

** Again Old-man began to call for helpers, 
and the Curlew, who was flying over, saw the 
trouble, and came down to the ground to help. 
In those days Curlew had a short, stubby bill, 
and he thought that he could break the rock 
by pecking it. He pecked and pecked away 
without making any headway, till 0ld-m3.n 
grew angry at him, as he did at the Coyote. 
The harder the Curlew worked, the worse Old- 
man scolded him. Old-msLn lost his temper 
altogether, you see, which is a bad thing to do, 
for we lose our friends with it, often. Temper 
is like a bad dog about a lodge — no friends 
will come to see us when he is about. 

"Curlew did his best but finally said: 'I'll 
go and try to find somebody else to help you. 
I guess I am too small and weak. I shall come 
back to you.' He was standing close to Old- 
man when he spoke, and Old-man reached out 
and grabbed the Curlew by the bill. Curlew 

41 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

began to scream — oh, my — oh, my — oh, 
my — as you still hear them in the air when it 
is morning. Old-msin hung onto the bill and 
finally pulled it out long and slim, and bent 
it downward, as it is to-day. Then he let go 
and laughed at the Curlew. 

"'You are a queer-looking bird now. That 
is a homely bill, but you shall always wear it 
and so shall all of your children, as long as 
there are Curlews in the world.' 

"I have forgotten who it was that got Old- 
man out of his trouble, but it seems to me it 
was the bear. Anyhow he did get out some- 
how, and lived to make trouble, until Mani- 
tou grew tired of him. 

"There are good things that Old-man did 
and to-morrow night, if you will come early, 
I will tell you how Old-man made the world 
over after the water made its war on the land, 
scaring all the animal-people and the bird- 
people. I will also tell you how he made 
the first man and the first woman and who 

42 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

they were. But now the grouse is fast asleep; 
nobody is stirring but those who were made to 
see in the dark, like the owl and the wolf. — 
Ho!" 



43 





OLD-MAN REMAKES THE WORLD 



OLD-MAN REMAKES THE WORLD 

THE sun was just sinking behind the hills 
when we started for War Eagle's lodge. 

"To-morrow will be a fine day," said Other- 
person, "for grandfather says that a red sky 
is always the sun's promise of fine weather, 
and the sun cannot lie." 

"Yes," said Bluebird, "and he said that 
when this moon was new it travelled well 
south for this time of year and its points were 
up. That means fine, warm weather." 

"I wish I knew as much as grandfather," 
said Fine-bow with pride. 

The pipe was laid aside at once upon our 
entering the lodge and the old warrior said: 

"I have told you that 0ld-m3.n taught the 
animals and the birds all they know. He 
made them and therefore knew just what 
each would have to understand in order to 

47 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

make his living. They have never forgotten 
anything he told them — even to this day. 
Their grandfathers told the young ones what 
they had been told, just as I am telling you 
the things you should know. Be like the 
birds and animals — tell your children and 
grandchildren what I have told you, that 
our people may always know how things were 
made, and why strange things are true. 

" Yes — Old-rmin taught the Beaver how to 
build his dams to make the water deeper; 
taught the Squirrel to plant the pine-nut so 
that another tree might grow and have nuts 
for his children; told the Bear to go to sleep 
in the winter, when the snow made hard travel- 
ling for his short legs — told him to sleep, and 
promised him that he would need no meat 
while he slept. All winter long the Bear 
sleeps and eats nothing, because 0/6?-man told 
him that he could. He sleeps so much in the 
winter that he spends most of his time in 
summer hunting. 

48 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"It was Old-man who showed the Owl how 
to hunt at night and it was Old-man that 
taught the Weasel all his wonderful ways — 
his bloodthirsty ways — for the Weasel is 
the bravest of the animal-people, considering 
his size. He taught the Beaver one strange 
thing that you have noticed, and that is to 
lay sticks on the creek-bottoms, so that they 
will stay there as long as he wants them to. 

"Whenever the animal-people got into 
trouble they always sought 0/^-man and told 
him about it. All were busy working and 
making a living, when one day it commenced 
to rain. That was nothing, of course, but it 
didn't stop as it had always done before. No, 
it kept right on raining until the rivers over- 
ran their banks, and the water chased the 
Weasel out of his hole in the ground. Yes, 
and it found the Rabbit's hiding-place and 
made him leave it. It crept into the lodge 
of the Wolf at night and frightened his wife 
and children. It poured into the den of the 

49 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

Bear among the rocks and he had to move. 
It crawled under the logs in the forest and 
found the Mice-people. Out it went to the 
plains and chased them out of their homes in 
the buffalo skulls. At last the Beavers' dams 
broke under the strain and that made every- 
thing worse. It was bad — very bad, indeed. 
Everybody except the fish-people were fright- 
ened and all went to find Old-man that they 
might tell him what had happened. Finally 
they found his fire, far up on a timbered bench, 
and they said that they wanted a council 
right away. 

"It was a strange sight to see the Eagle 
sitting next to the Grouse; the Rabbit sitting 
close to the Lynx; the Mouse right under the 
very nose of the Bobcat, and the tiny Hum- 
ming-bird talking to the Hawk in a whisper, 
as though they had always been great friends. 
All about Old-rmn's fire they sat and whispered 
or talked in signs. Even the Deer spoke to 
the Mountain-lion, and the Antelope told the 

50 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

Wolf that he was glad to see him, because fear 
had made them all friends. 

**The whispering and the sign-making stopped 
when Old-man raised his hand — like that" 
(here War Eagle raised his hand with the palm 
outward) — "and asked them what was troubling 
them. 

''The Bear spoke first, of course, and told 
how the water had made him move his camp. 
He said all the animal-people were moving 
their homes, and he was afraid they would be 
unable to find good camping-places, because 
of the water. Then the Beaver spoke, be- 
cause he is wise and all the forest-people know 
it. He said his dams would not hold back the 
water that came against them; that the whole 
world was a lake, and that he thought they 
were on an island. He said he could live in 
the water longer than most people, but that 
as far as he could see they would all die except, 
perhaps, the fish-people, who stayed in the 
water all the time, anyhow. He said he 

51 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

couldn't think of a thing to do — then he 
sat down and the sign-talking and whispering 
commenced again. 

" Old-ma.n smoked a long time — smoked 
and thought hard. Finally he grabbed his 
magic stone axe, and began to sing his war- 
song. Then the rest knew he had made up his 
mind and knew what he would do. Swow ! 
he struck a mighty pine-tree a blow, and it 
fell down. Swow! down went another and 
another, until he had ten times ten of the 
longest, straightest, and largest trees in all 
the world lying side by side before him. Then 
OW-man chopped off the limbs, and with the aid 
of magic rolled the great logs tight together. 
With withes of willow that he told the Beaver 
to cut for him, he bound the logs fast together 
until they were all as one. It was a monstrous 
raft that OW-man had built, as he sang his song 
in the darkness. At last he cried, 'Ho! every- 
body hurry and sit on this raft I have made'; 
and they did hurry. 

52 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"It was not long till the water had reached 
the logs; then it crept in between them, and 
finally it went on past the raft and off into the 
forest, looking for more trouble. 

"By and by the raft began to groan, and the 
willow withes squeaked and cried out as though 
ghost-people were crying in the night. That 
was when the great logs began to tremble as 
the water lifted them from the ground. Rain 
was falling — night was there, and fear made 
cowards of the bravest on the raft. All through 
the forest there were bad noises — noises that 
make the heart cold — as the raft bumped against 
great trees rising from the earth that they 
were leaving forever. 

"Higher and higher went the raft; higher 
than the bushes; higher than the limbs on the 
trees; higher than the Woodpecker's nest; 
higher than the tree tops, and even higher 
than the mountains. Then the world was no 
more, for the water had whipped the land in 
the war it made against it. 

53 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Day came, and still the rain was falling. 
Night returned, and yet the rain came down. 
For many days and nights they drifted in the 
falling rain; whirling and twisting about while 
the water played with the great raft, as a Bear 
would play with a Mouse. It was bad, and 
they were all afraid — even Old-man himself 
was scared. 

"At last the sun came but there was no 
land. All was water. The water was the 
world. It reached even to the sky and touched 
it all about the edges. All were hungry, and 
some of them were grumbling, too. There 
are always grumblers when there is great 
trouble, but they are not the ones who become 
great chiefs — ever. 

** Old-man sat in the middle of the raft and 
thought. He knew that something must be 
done, but he didn't know what. Finally he 
said: *Ho! Chipmunk, bring me the Spotted 
Loon. Tell him I want him.' 

"The Chipmunk found the Spotted Loon 

54 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and told him that Old-man wanted him, so the 
Loon went to where Old-man sat. When he 
got there, 0/^-man said: 

'"Spotted Loon you are a great diver. No- 
body can dive as you can. I made you that 
way and I know. If you will dive and swim 
down to the world I think you might bring me 
some of the dirt that it is made of — then 
I am sure I can make another world.' 

"'It is too deep, this water,' replied the 
Loon, 'I am afraid I shall drown.' 

"'Well, what if you do?' said Old-man. 'I 
gave you life, and if you lose it this way I 
will return it to you. You shall live again!' 

"'All right. Old-man/ he answered, 'I am 
willing to try ' ; so he waddled to the edge of the 
raft. He is a poor walker — the Loon, and 
you know I told you why. It was all because 
0/^-man kicked him in the back the night he 
painted all the Duck-people. 

"Down went the Spotted Loon, and long 
he stayed beneath the water. All waited and 

55 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

watched, and longed for good luck, but when 
he came to the top he was dead. Everybody 
groaned — all felt badly, I can tell you, as 
0/^-man laid the dead Loon on the logs. The 
Loon's wife was crying, but Old-man told her 
to shut up and she did. 

"Then Old-man blew his own breath into 
the Loon's bill, and he came back to life. 

"'What did you see, Brother Loon?' asked 
Old-man, while everybody crowded as close 
as he could. 

"'Nothing but water,' answered the Loon, 
*we shall all die here, I cannot reach the world 
by swimming. My heart stops working.' 

"There were many brave ones on the raft, 
and the Otter tried to reach the world by 
diving; and the Beaver, and the Gray Goose, 
and the Gray Goose's wife; but all died in 
trying, and all were given a new life by Old- 
man. Things were bad and getting worse. 
Everybody was cross, and all wondered what 
Old-man would do next, when somebody laughed. 

56 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"All turned to see what there could be to 
laugh at, at such a time, and 0ld-m3.n turned 
about just in time to see the Muskrat bid 
good-by to his wife — that was what they 
were laughing at. But he paid no attention 
to Old-man or the rest, and slipped from the 
raft to the water. Flip ! — his tail cut the 
water like a knife, and he was gone. Some 
laughed again, but all wondered at his daring, 
and waited with little hope in their hearts; 
for the Muskrat wasn't very great, they 
thought. 

**He was gone longer than the Loon, longer 
than the Beaver, longer than the Otter or 
the Gray Goose or his wife, but when he 
came to the surface of the water he was 
dead. 

"Old-man brought Muskrat back to life, 
and asked him what he had seen on his journey. 
Muskrat said: *I saw trees. Old-man, but I 
died before I got to them.' 

''Old-man told him he was brave. He said 

57 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

his people should forever be great if he suc- 
ceeded in bringing some dirt to the raft; so 
just as soon as the Muskrat was rested he 
dove again. 

"When he came up he was dead, but clinched 
in his tiny hand 0/(/-man found some dirt — 
not much, but a Httle. A second time OW-man 
gave the Muskrat his breath, and told him 
that he must go once more, and bring dirt. 
He said there was not quite enough in the first 
lot, so after resting a while the Muskrat tried 
a third time and a third time he died, but 
brought up a little more dirt. 

"Everybody on the raft was anxious now, 
and they were all crowding about Old-man; 
but he told them to stand back, and they did. 
Then he blew his breath in Muskrat's mouth 
a third time, and a third time he lived and 
joined his wife. 

"Old-man then dried the dirt in his hands, 
rubbing it slowly and singing a queer song. 
Finally it was dry; then he settled the hand that 

58 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

held the dirt in the water slowly, until the 
water touched the dirt. The dry dirt began to 
whirl about and then OW-man blew upon it. 
Hard he blew and waved his hands, and the 
dirt began to grow in size right before their 
eyes. Old-man kept blowing and waving his 
hands until the dirt became real land, and the 
trees began to grow. So large it grew that 
none could see across it. Then he stopped 
his blowing and sang some more. Everybody 
wanted to get off the raft, but Old-man said 
'no.' 

"'Come here. Wolf,' he said, and the W^olf 
came to him. 

"'You are s\vift of foot and brave. Run 
around this land I have made, that I may 
know how large it is. ' 

"The Wolf started, and it took him half a 
year to get back to the raft. He was very 
poor from much running, too, but Old-man 
said the world wasn't big enough yet so he 
blew some more, and again sent the Wolf out 

59 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

to run around the land. He never came back 
— no, the 0/^-man had made it so big that the 
Wolf died of old age before he got back to the 
raft. Then all the people went out upon the 
land to make their living, and they were 
happy, there, too. 

"After they had been on the land for a long 
time Old-man said: 'Now I shall make a man 
and a woman, for I am lonesome living with 
you people. He took two or three handfuls 
of mud from the world he had made, and 
moulded both a man and a woman. Then he 
set them side by side and breathed upon them. 
They lived ! — and he made them very strong 
and healthy — very beautifitl to look upon. 
Chippewas, he called these people, and they 
lived happily on that world until a white man 
saw an Eagle sailing over the land and came to 
look about. He stole the woman — that white 
man did; and that is where all the tribes came 
from that we know to-day. None are pure of 
blood but the two humans he made of clay, 

60 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and their own children. And they are the 
Chippewas ! 

"That is a long story and now you must 
hurry to bed. To-morrow night I will tell 
you another story — Ho !" 



61 







% 



S A 



4^< 



^^.c^-^'Air^ 



\iifi *i If. 



^ir\' BLACI^EET XE\*ER KILL MICE 



WHY BLACKFEET NEVER KILL MICE 

MUSKRAT and his grandmother were 
gathering wood for the camp the next 
morning, when they came to an old buffalo 
skull. The plains were dotted with these relics 
of the chase, for already the hide-hunting 
white man had played havoc with the great 
herds of buffalo. This skull was in a grove 
of cottonwood-trees near the river, and as 
they approached two Mice scampered into 
it to hide. Muskrat, in great glee, secured a 
stick and was about to turn the skull over 
and kill the Mice, when his grandmother 
said: ''No, our people never kill Mice. Your 
grandfather will tell you why if you ask him. 
The Mice-people are our friends and we treat 
them as such. Even small people can be good 
friends, you know — remember that." 
All the day the boy wondered why the Mice- 

65 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

people should not be harmed; and just at dark 
he came for me to accompany him to War 
Eagle's lodge. On the way he told me what 
his grandmother had said, and that he intended 
to ask for the reason, as soon as we arrived. 
We found the other children already there, 
and almost before we had seated ourselves, 
Muskrat asked: 

"Grandfather, why must we never kill the 
Mice-people? Grandmother said that you 
knew." 

"Yes," replied War Eagle, "I do know 
and you must know. Therefore I shall tell 
you all to-night why the Mice-people must 
be let alone and allowed to do as they please, 
for we owe them much; much more than we 
can ever pay. Yes — they are great people, 
as you will see. 

"It happened long, long ago, when there 
were few men and women on the world. 0/^- 
man was chief of all then, and the animal- 
people and the bird-people were greater than 

66 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

our people, because we had not been on earth 
long and were not wise. 

"There was much quarrelling among the 
animals and the birds. You see the Bear 
wanted to be chief, under Old-ma.n, and so 
did the Beaver. Almost every night they 
would have a council and quarrel over it. 
Beside the Bear and Beaver, there were other 
animals, and also birds, that thought they had 
the right to be chief. They couldn't agree and 
the quarrelling grew worse as time went on. 
Some said the greatest thief should be chosen. 
Others thought the wisest one should be the 
leader; while some said the swiftest traveller 
was the one they wanted. So it went on and 
on until they were most all enemies instead of 
friends, and you could hear them quarrelling 
almost every night, until OW-man came along 
that way. 

"He heard about the trouble. I forget 
who told him, but I think it was the Rabbit. 
Anyhow he visited the council where the 

67 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

quarrelling was going on and listened to what 
each one had to say. It took until almost 
daylight, too. He listened to it all — every 
bit. When they had finished talking and the 
quarrelling commenced as usual, he said, * stop ! ' 
and they did stop. 

"Then he said to them: *I will settle this 
thing right here and right now, so that there 
will be no more rows over it, forever. ' 

"He opened his paint sack and took from 
it a small, polished bone. This he held up in 
the firelight, so that they might all see it, and 
he said: 

"'This will settle the quarrel. You all see 
this bone in my right hand, don't you?* 

"'Yes,' they replied. 

"'Well, now you watch the bone and my 
hands, too, for they are quick and cunning.' 

"0/^-man began to sing the gambling song 
and to slip the bone from one hand to the other 
so rapidly and smoothly that they were all 
puzzled. Finally he stopped singing and held 

68 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

out his hands — both shut tight, and both 
with their backs up. 

"'Which of my hands holds the bone now?' 
he asked them. 

"Some said it was in the right hand and 
others claimed that it was the left hand that 
held it. Old-msn asked the Bear to name the 
hand that held the bone, and the Bear did; 
but when Old-man opened that hand it was 
empty — the bone was not there. Then every- 
body laughed at the Bear. 0/^-man smiled 
a little and began to sing and again pass the 
bone. 

"'Beaver, you are smart; name the hand 
that holds the bone this time.' 

"The Beaver said: 'It 's in your right hand. 
I saw you put it there.' 

"OM-man opened that hand right before 
the Beaver's eyes, but the bone wasn't there, 
and again everybody laughed — especially the 
Bear. 

'"Now, you see,' said 0/^-man, 'that this 

69 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

is not so easy as it looks, but I am going to 
teach you all to play the game; and when you 
have all learned it, you must play it until you 
find out who is the cleverest at the playing. 
Whoever that is, he shall be chief under me, 
forever. * 

"Some were awkward and said they didn't 
care much who was chief, but most all of them 
learned to play pretty well. First the Bear 
and the Beaver tried it, but the Beaver beat 
the Bear easily and held the bone for ever so 
long. Finally the Buffalo beat the Beaver 
and started to play with the Mouse. Of 
course the Mouse had small hands and was 
quicker than the Buffalo — quicker to see the 
bone. The Buffalo tried hard for he didn't 
want the Mouse to be chief but it didn't do 
him any good; for the Mouse won in the end. 

"It was a fair game and the Mouse was 
chief under the agreement. He looked quite 
small among the rest but he walked right 
out to the centre of the council and said: 

70 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'Listen, brothers — what is mine to keep 
is mine to give away. I am too small to be 
your chief and I know it. I am not warlike. 
I want to live in peace with my wife and fam- 
ily. I know nothing of war. I get my living 
easily. I don't like to have enemies. I am 
going to give my right to be chief to the man 
that OW-man has made like himself. ' 

"That settled it. That made the man chief 
forever, and that is why he is greater than the 
animals and the birds. That is why we never 
kill the Mice-people. 

"You saw the Mice run into the buffalo 
skull, of course. There is where they have 
lived and brought up their families ever since 
the night the Mouse beat the Buffalo playing 
the bone game. Yes — the Mice-people al- 
ways make their nests in the heads of the 
dead Buffalo-people, ever since that night. 

"Our people play the same game, even to- 
day. See," and War Eagle took from his 
paint sack a small, polished bone. Then he 

71 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

sang just as Old-man did so long ago. He 
let the children try to guess the hand that 
held the bone, as the animal-people did that 
fateful night; but, like the animals, they al- 
ways guessed wrong. Laughingly War Eagle 
said: 

"Now go to your beds and come to see me 
to-morrow night. Ho!" 



72 




HOW THE OTTER SKIN BECAME 
GREAT "MEDICINE" 



HOW THE OTTER SKIN BECAME 
GREAT "MEDICINE" 

TT was rather late when we left War Eagle's 
^ lodge after having learned why the Indians 
never kill the Mice-people; and the milky 
way was white and plain, dimming the stars 
with its mist. The children all stopped to 
say good night to little Sees-in-the-dark, a 
brand-new baby sister of Bluebird's; then 
they all went to bed. 

The next day the boys played at war, just 
as white boys do; and the girls played with 
dolls dressed in buckskin clothes, until it grew 
tiresome, when they visited relatives until 
it came time for us all to go to their grand- 
father's lodge. He was smoking when we 
entered, but soon laid aside the pipe and said: 

"You know that the otter skin is big medi- 
cine, no doubt. You have noticed that our 

75 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

warriors wear it sometimes and you know 
that we all think it very lucky to wear the 
skin of the Otter. But you don't know how 
it came to be great; so I shall tell you. 

"One time, long before my grandfather was 
born, a young-man of our tribe was unlucky 
in everything. No woman wanted to marry 
him, because he couldn't kill enough meat to 
keep her in food and clothes. Whenever he 
went hunting, his bow always broke or he 
would lose his lance. If these things didn't 
happen, his horse would fall and hurt him. 
Everybody talked about him and his bad 
luck, and although he was fine-looking, he 
had no close friends, because of his ill fortune. 
He tried to dream and get his medicine but 
no dream would come. He grew sour and 
people were sorry for him all the time. Finally 
his name was changed to 'The Unlucky-one,' 
which sounds bad to the ear. He used to 
wander about alone a good deal, and one 
morning he saw an old woman gathering wood 

76 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

by the side of a river. The Unlucky-one 
was about to pass the old woman when she 
stopped him and asked: 

*"Why are you so sad in your handsome 
face? Why is that sorry look in your fine 
eyes ? ' 

"'Because,' replied the young-man, 'I am 
the Unlucky-one. Everything goes wrong with 
me, always. I don't want to live any longer, 
for my heart is growing wicked. ' 

***Come with me,' said the old woman, 
and he followed her until she told him to sit 
down. Then she said: 'Listen to me. First 
you must learn a song to sing, and this is it.' 
Then she sang a queer song over and over 
again until the young-man had learned it 

well. 

"'Now do what I tell you, and your heart 
shall be glad some day.' She drew from 
her robe a pair of moccasins and a small sack 
of dried meat. 'Here,' she said, 'put these 
moccasins on your feet and take this sack of 

77 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

meat for food, for you must travel far. Go 
on down this river until you come to a great 
beaver village. Their lodges will be large and 
fine-looking and you will know the village by 
the great size of the lodges. When you get 
to the place, you must stand still for a long 
time, and then sing the song I taught you. 
When you have finished the singing, a great 
white Beaver, chief of all the Beavers in the 
world, will come to you. He is wise and can 
tell you what to do to change your luck. After 
that I cannot help you; but do what the white 
Beaver tells you, without asking why. Now 
go, and be brave ! ' 

''The young-man started at once. Long 
his steps were, for he was young and strong. 
Far he travelled down the river — saw many 
beaver villages, too, but he did not stop, be- 
cause the lodges were not big, as the old woman 
told him they would be in the right village. 
His feet grew tired for he travelled day and 
night without resting, but his heart was brave 

78 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and he believed what the old woman had 
told him. 

"It was late on the third day when he came 
to a mighty beaver village and here the lodges 
were greater than any he had ever seen before. 
In the centre of the camp was a monstrous 
lodge built of great sticks and towering above 
the rest. All about, the ground was neat 
and clean and bare as your hand. The Un- 
lucky-one knew this was the white Beaver's 
lodge — knew that at last he had found the 
chief of all the Beavers in the world; so he 
stood still for a long time, and then sang that 
song. 

"Soon a great white Beaver — white as 
the snows of winter — came to him and asked : 
*Why do you sing that song, my brother? 
What do you want of me? I have never 
heard a man sing that song before. You 
must be in trouble.' 

"*I am the Unlucky-one,* the young-man 
replied. *I can do nothing well. I can find 

79 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

no woman who will marry me. In the hunt 
my bow will often break or my lance is poor. 
My medicine is bad and I cannot dream. 
The people do not love me, and they pity me 
as they do a sick child. ' 

** * I am sorry for you, ' said the white Beaver 
— chief of all the Beavers in the world — 'but 
you must find my brother the Coyote, who 
knows where OW-man's lodge is. The Coyote 
will do your bidding if you sing that song 
when you see him. Take this stick with you, 
because you will have a long journey, and 
with the stick you may cross any river and 
not drown, if you keep it always in your hand. 
That is all I can do for you, myself. ' 

"On down the river the Unlucky-one 
travelled and the sun was low in the west on 
the fourth day, when he saw the Coyote on 
a hillside near by. After looking at Coyote 
for a long time, the young-man commenced 
to sing the song the old woman had taught 
him. When he had finished the singing, the 
Coyote came up close and asked: 

80 




'^-- 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'What is the matter? Why do you sing 
that song? I never heard a man sing it be- 
fore. What is it you want of me ? ' 

"Then the Unlucky-one told the Coyote 
what he had told the white Beaver, and showed 
the stick the Beaver-chief had given him, 
to prove it. 

"*I am hungry, too,' said the Unlucky-one, 
'for I have eaten all the dried meat the old 
woman gave me. ' 

"'Wait here,' said the Coyote, 'my brother 
the Wolf has just killed a fat Doe, and per- 
haps he will give me a little of the meat when 
I tell him about you and your troubles. ' 

"Away went the Coyote to beg for meat, 
and while he was gone the young-man bathed 
his tired feet in a cool creek. Soon the Coyote 
came back with meat, and young-man built 
a fire and ate some of it, even before it was 
warm, for he was starving. When he had 
finished the Coyote said: 

'"Now I shall take you to OW-man's lodge, 
come. * 

81 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"They started, even though it was getting 
dark. Long they travelled without stopping 
— over plains and mountains — through great 
forests and across rivers, until they came to a 
cave in the rough rocks on the side of a mighty 
mountain. 

"'In there,' said the Coyote, 'you will find 
Old-ma.n and he can tell you what you want 
to know. ' 

"The Unlucky-one stood before the black 
hole in the rocks for a long time, because he 
was afraid; but when he turned to speak to 
the Coyote he found himself to be alone. The 
Coyote had gone about his own business — 
had silently slipped away in the night. 

"Slowly and carefully the young-man be- 
gan to creep into the cave, feeling his way 
in the darkness. His heart was beating like 
a tom-tom at a dance. Finally he saw a fire 
away back in the cave. 

"The shadows danced about the stone sides 
of the cave as men say the ghosts do; and 

82 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

they frightened him. But looking, he saw a 
man sitting on the far side of the fire. The 
man's hair was like the snow and very long. 
His face was wrinkled with the seams left by 
many years of life and he was naked in the 
firelight that played about him. 

"Slowly the young-man stood upon his feet 
and began to walk toward the fire with great 
fear in his heart. When he had reached the 
place where the firelight fell upon him, the 
Old-man looked up and said: 

***How, young-man, I am 0/^-man. Why 
did you come here? What is it you want?* 

"Then the Unlucky-one told Old-man just 
what he had told the old woman and the white 
Beaver and the Coyote, and showed the stick 
the Beaver had given him, to prove it. 

"'Smoke,' said 0/^-man, and passed the 
pipe to his visitor. After they had smoked 
Old-man said: 

"'I will tell you what to do. On the top of 
this great mountain there live many ghost- 

83 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

people and their chief is a great Owl. This 
Owl is the only one who knows how you can 
change your luck, and he will tell you if you 
are not afraid. Take this arrow and go among 
those people, without fear. Show them you 
are unarmed as soon as they see you. Now 
go!' 

"Out into the night went the Unlucky-one 
and on up the mountain. The way was rough 
and the wind blew from the north, chilling his 
limbs and stinging his face, but on he went 
toward the mountain-top, where the storm- 
clouds sleep and the winter always stays. 
Drifts of snow were piled all about, and the 
wind gathered it up and hurled it at the young- 
man as though it were angry at him. The 
clouds waked and gathered around him, making 
the night darker and the world lonelier than 
before, but on the very top of the mountain 
he stopped and tried to look through the 
clouds. Then he heard strange singing all 
about him; but for a long time there was no 

84 




-15 
O 



13 
1=1 



o 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

singer in sight. Finally the clouds parted 
and he saw a great circle of ghost-people with 
large and ugly heads. They were seated on 
the icy ground and on the drifts of snow and 
on the rocks, singing a warlike song that made 
the heart of the young-man stand still, in 
dread. In the centre of the circle there sat 
a mighty Owl — their chief. Ho ! — when the 
ghost-people saw the Unlucky-one they rushed 
at him with many lances and would have killed 
him but the Owl-chief cried, * Stop ! ' 

"The young-man folded his arms and said: 
* I am unarmed — come and see how a Black- 
foot dies. I am not afraid of you. ' 

"'Ho!' said the Owl-chief, *we kill no un- 
armed man. Sit down, my son, and tell me 
what you want. Why do you come here? 
You must be in trouble. You must smoke 
with me.' 

"The Unlucky-one told the Owl-chief just 
what he had told the old woman and the Beaver 
and the Coyote and Old-man, and showed the 

85 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

stick that the white Beaver had given him 
and the arrow that 0/^-man had given to 
him to prove it. 

***Good, ' said the Owl-chief, *I can help 
you, but first you must help yourself. Take 
this bow. It is a medicine-bow; then you 
will have a bow that will not break and an 
arrow that is good and straight. Now go 
down this mountain until you come to a 
river. It will be dark when you reach this 
river, but you will know the way. There 
will be a great cottonwood-tree on the bank 
of the stream where you first come to the 
water. At this tree, you must turn down the 
stream and keep on travelling without rest, 
until you hear a splashing in the water near 
you. When you hear the splashing, you must 
shoot this arrow at the sound. Shoot quickly, 
for if you do not you can never have any good 
luck. If you do as I have told you the splasher 
will be killed and you must then take his hide 
and wear it always. The skin that the splasher 

86 




o 



o 



ll 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

wears will make you a lucky man. It will 
make anybody lucky and you may tell your 
people that it is so. 

"'Now go, for it is nearly day and we must 

sleep. ' 

"The young-man took his bow and arrow 
and the stick the white Beaver had given him 
and started on his journey. All the day he 
travelled, and far into the night. At last he 
came to a river and on the bank he saw the 
great cotton wood-tree, just as the ghost Owl 
had told him. At the tree the young-man 
turned down the stream and in the dark easily 
found his way along the bank. Very soon he 
heard a great splashing in the water near him, 
and — zipp — he let the arrow go at the 
sound — then all was still again. He stood 
and looked and listened, but for a long time 
could see nothing — hear nothing. ''•^■^.^•^^^ 

"Then the moon came out from under a 
cloud and just where her light struck the 
river, he saw some animal floating — dead. 

87 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

With the magic stick the young-man walked 
out on the water, seized the animal by the 
legs and drew it ashore. It was an Otter, 
and the young-man took his hide, right there. 

"A Wolf waited in the brush for the body 
of the Otter, and the young-man gave it to 
him willingly, because he remembered the 
meat the Wolf had given the Coyote. As 
soon as the young-man had skinned the Otter 
he threw the hide over his shoulder and started 
for his own country with a light heart, but 
at the first good place he made a camp, and 
slept. That night he dreamed and all was 
well with him. 

"After days of travel he found his tribe 
again, and told what had happened. He be- 
came a great hunter and a great chief among 
us. He married the most beautiful woman in 
the tribe and was good to her always. They 
had many children, and we remember his 
name as one that was great in war. That is 
all — Ho!" 

88 




OLD-MAN STEALS THE SUN'S 
LEGGINGS 



OLD-MAN STEALS THE SUN'S 
LEGGINGS 

FIRELIGHT — what a charm it adds to 
story-telling. How its moods seem to 
keep pace with situations pictured by the 
oracle, offering shadows when dread is abroad, 
and light when a pleasing climax is reached; 
for interest undoubtedly tends the blaze, while 
sympathy contributes or withholds fuel, ac- 
cording to its dictates. 

The lodge was alight when I approached 
and I could hear the children singing in a 
happy mood, but upon entering, the singing 
ceased and embarrassed smiles on the young 
faces greeted me; nor could I coax a continua- 
tion of the song. 

Seated beside War Eagle was a very old 
Indian whose name was Red Robe, and as 
soon as I was seated, the host explained that 

91 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

he was an honored guest; that he was a Sioux 
and a friend of long standing. Then War 
Eagle lighted the pipe, passing it to the dis- 
tinguished friend, who in turn passed it to 
me, after first offering it to the Sun, the father, 
and the Earth, the mother of all that is. 

In a lodge of the Blackfeet the pipe must 
never be passed across the doorway. To do 
so would insult the host and bring bad luck 
to all who assembled. Therefore if there be 
a large number of guests ranged about the 
lodge, the pipe is passed first to the left from 
guest to guest until it reaches the door, when 
it goes back, unsmoked, to the host, to be 
refilled ere it is passed to those on his right 
hand. 

Briefly War Eagle explained my presence 
to Red Robe and said: 

"Once the Moon made the Sun a pair of 
leggings. Such beautiful work had never been 
seen before. They were worked with the col- 
ored quills of the Porcupine and were covered 

92 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

with strange signs, which none but the Sun 
and the Moon could read. No man ever saw 
such leggings as they were, and it took the 
Moon many snows to make them. Yes, they 
were wonderful leggings and the Sun always 
wore them on fine days, for they were bright 
to look upon. 

"Every night when the Sun went to sleep 
in his lodge away in the west, he used the 
leggings for a pillow, because there was a 
thief in the world, even then. That thief and 
rascal was OW-man, and of course the Sun 
knew all about him. That is why he always 
put his fine leggings under his head when 
he slept. When he worked he almost always 
wore them, as I have told you, so that there 
was no danger of losing them in the daytime; 
but the Sun was careful of his leggings when 
night came and he slept. 

"You wouldn't think that a person would 
be so foolish as to steal from the Sun, but 
one night Old-man — who is the only person 

93 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

who ever knew just where the Sun's lodge 
was — crept near enough to look in, and 
saw the leggings under the Sun's head. 

**We have all travelled a great deal but 
no man ever found the Sun's lodge. No 
man knows in what country it is. Of course 
we know it is located somewhere west of here, 
for we see him going that way every after- 
noon, but Old-msLU knew everything — except 
that he could not fool the Sun. 

"Yes — Old-man looked into the lodge of 
the Sun and saw the leggings there — saw 
the Sun, too, and the Sun was asleep. He 
made up his mind that he would steal the 
leggings so he crept through the door of the 
lodge. There was no one at home but the 
Sun, for the Moon has work to do at night 
just as the children, the Stars, do, so he thought 
he could slip the leggings from under the 
sleeper's head and get away. 

**He got down on his hands and knees to 
walk like the Bear-people and crept into the 

94 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

lodge, but in the black darkness he put his 
knee upon a dry stick near the Sun's bed. 
The stick snapped under his weight with so 
great a noise that the Sun turned over and 
snorted, scaring Old-man so badly that he 
couldn't move for a minute. His heart was 
not strong — wickedness makes every heart 
weaker — and after making sure that the Sun 
had not seen him, he crept silently out of the 
lodge and ran away. 

"On the top of a hill Old-man stopped to 
look and listen, but all was still; so he sat down 
and thought. 

"'I'll get them to-morrow night when he 
sleeps again'; he said to himself. *I need 
those leggings myself, and I 'm going to get 
them, because they will make me handsome 
as the Sun. ' 

"He watched the Moon come home to camp 
and saw the Sun go to work, but he did not 
go very far away because he wanted to be 
near the lodge when night came again. 

95 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"It was not long to wait, for all the Old- 
man had to do was to make mischief, and only 
those who have work to do measure time. 
He was close to the lodge when the Moon 
came out, and there he waited until the Surt 
went inside. From the bushes OW-man sav 
the Sun take off his leggings and his eyet 
glittered with greed as he saw their owner 
fold them and put them under his head as 
he had always done. Then he waited a 
while before creeping closer. Little by little 
the old rascal crawled toward the lodge, 
till finally his head was inside the door. Then 
he waited a long, long time, even after the 
Sun was snoring. 

**The strange noises of the night bothered 
him, for he knew he was doing wrong, and 
when a Loon cried on a lake near by, he shivered 
as with cold, but finally crept to the sleeper's 
side. Cautiously his fingers felt about the 
precious leggings until he knew just how they 
could best be removed without waking the 

96 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

Sun. His breath was short and his heart was 
beating as a war-drum beats, in the black dark 
of the lodge. Sweat — cold sweat, that great 
fear always brings to the weak-hearted — was 
dripping from his body, and once he thought 
that he would wait for another night, but 
greed whispered again, and listening to its 
voice, he stole the leggings from under the 
Sun's head. 

** Carefully he crept out of the lodge, look- 
ing over his shoulder as he went through the 
door. Then he ran away as fast as he could 
go. Over hills and valleys, across rivers and 
creeks, toward the east. He wasted much 
breath laughing at his smartness as he ran, 
and soon he grew tired. 

"*Ho!' he said to himself, *I am far enough 
now and I shall sleep. It 's easy to steal from 
the Sun — just as easy as stealing from the 
Bear or the Beaver. ' 

'*He folded the leggings and put them under 
his head as the Sun had done, and went to 

97 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

sleep. He had a dream and it waked him with 
a start. Bad deeds bring bad dreams to us 
all. Old-man sat up and there was the Sun 
looking right in his face and laughing. He 
was frightened and ran away, leaving the 
leggings behind him. 

"Laughingly the Sun put on the leggings 
and went on toward the west, for he is al- 
ways busy. He thought he would see Old- 
man no more, but it takes more than one 
lesson to teach a fool to be wise, and Old- 
man hid in the timber until the Sun had 
travelled out of sight. Then he ran westward 
and hid himself near the Sun's lodge again, 
intending to wait for the night and steal the 
leggings a second time. 

**He was much afraid this time, but as soon 
as the Sun was asleep he crept to the lodge 
and peeked inside. Here he stopped and looked 
about, for he was afraid the Sun would hear 
his heart beating. Finally he started toward 
the Sun's bed and just then a great white 

98 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

Owl flew from off the lodge poles, and this 
scared him more, for that is very bad luck 
and he knew it; but he kept on creeping until 
he could almost touch the Sun. 

"All about the lodge were beautiful linings, 
tanned and painted by the Moon, and the 
queer signs on them made the old coward 
tremble. He heard a night-bird call outside 
and he thought it would surely wake the Sun; 
so he hastened to the bed and with cunning 
fingers stole the leggings, as he had done the 
night before, without waking the great sleeper. 
Then he crept out of the lodge, talking bravely 
to himself as cowards do when they are afraid. 

"'Now,' he said to himself, *I shall run 
faster and farther than before. I shall not 
stop running while the night lasts, and I 
shall stay in the mountains all the time when 
the Sun is at work in the daytime ! ' 

"Away he went — running as the Buffalo 
runs — straight ahead, looking at nothing, 
hearing nothing, stopping at nothing. When 

99 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

day began to break Old-rmn was far from 
the Sun's lodge and he hid himself in a deep 
gulch among some bushes that grew there. 
He listened a long time before he dared to go 
to sleep, but finally he did. He was tired 
from his great run and slept soundly and for a 
long time, but when he opened his eyes — 
there was the Sun looking straight at him, 
and this time he was scowling. Old-man 
started to run away but the Sun grabbed 
him and threw him down upon his back. 
My! but the Sun was angry, and he said: 

"*0/fi?-man, you are a clever thief but a 
mighty fool as well, for you steal from me and 
expect to hide away. Twice you have stolen 
the leggings my wife made for me, and twice 
I have found you easily. Don't you know 
that the whole world is my lodge and that 
you can never get outside of it, if you run 
your foolish legs off? Don't you know that 
I light all of my lodge every day and search 
it carefully? Don't you know that nothing 

100 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

can hide from me and live? I shall not harm 
you this time, but I warn you now, that if 
you ever steal from me again, I will hurt you 
badly. Now go, and don't let me catch you 
stealing again!' 

"Away went OW-man, and on toward the 
west went the busy Sun. That is all. 

"Now go to bed; for I would talk of other 
things with my friend, who knows of war as 
I do. Ho!" 



101 




'^Wa^/4 



ij-d^-j<^ 



\,# 







OLZ)-MAN AND HIS CONSCIENCE 



OLD-MAN AND HIS CONSCIENCE 

NOT so many miles away from the village, 
the great mountain range so divides 
the streams that are born there, that their 
waters are offered as tribute to the Atlantic, 
Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. In this wonder- 
ful range the Indians believe the winds are 
made, and that they battle for supremacy 
over Gunsight Pass. I have heard an old 
story, too, that is said to have been generally 
believed by the Blackfeet, in which a monster 
bull-elk that lives in Gunsight Pass lords it 
over the winds. This elk creates the North 
wind by "flapping" one of his ears, and the 
South wind by the same use of his other. I 
am inclined to believe that the winds are 
made in that Pass, myself, for there they are 
seldom at rest, especially at this season of 
the year. 

105 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

To-night the wind was blowing from the 
north, and filmy white clouds were driven 
across the face of the nearly full moon, mo- 
mentarily veiling her light. Lodge poles 
creaked and strained at every heavy gust, 
and sparks from the fires inside the lodges 
sped down the wind, to fade and die. 

In his lodge War Eagle waited for us, and 
when we entered he greeted us warmly, but 
failed to mention the gale. **I have been 
waiting," he said. "You are late and the 
story I shall tell you is longer than many of 
the others." Without further delay the story- 
telling commenced. 

"Once OW-man came upon a lodge in the 
forest. It was a fine one, and painted with 
strange signs. Smoke was curling from the 
top, and thus he knew that the person who 
lived there was at home. Without calling 
or speaking, he entered the lodge and saw a 
man sitting by the fire smoking his pipe. The 
man didn't speak, nor did he offer his pipe 

106 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

to Old-rmn, as our people do when they are 
glad to see visitors. He didn't even look at 
his guest, but Old-man has no good manners 
at all. He couldn't see that he wasn't wanted, 
as he looked about the man's lodge and made 
himself at home. The linings were beautiful 
and were painted with fine skill. The lodge 
was clean and the fire was bright, but there 
was no woman about. 

"Leaning against a fine back-rest, Old-man 
filled his own pipe and lighted it with a coal 
from the man's fire. Then he began to smoke 
and look around, wondering why the man 
acted so queerly. He saw a star that shone 
down through the smoke-hole, and the tops 
of several trees that were near the lodge. Then 
he saw a woman — way up in a tree top and 
right over the lodge. She looked young and 
beautiful and tall. 

"'Whose woman is that up there in the 
tree top?' asked Old-man. 

"'She's your woman if you can catch her 

107 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and will marry her,' growled the man; *but 
you will have to live here and help me make 
a living.' 

"'I '11 try to catch her, and if I do I will 
marry her and stay here, for I am a great 
hunter and can easily kill what meat we want, ' 
said Old-man. 

**He went. out of the lodge and climbed the 
tree after the woman. She screamed, but he 
caught her and held her, although she scratched 
him badly. He carried her into the lodge 
and there renewed his promise to stay there 
always. The man married them, and they 
were happy for four days, but on the fifth 
morning Old-msn was gone — gone with all 
the dried meat in the lodge — the thief. 

**When they were sure that the rascal had 
run away the woman began to cry, but not 
so the man. He got his bow and arrows 
and left the lodge in anger. There was snow 
on the ground and the man took the track 
of Old-man, intending to catch and kill him. 

108 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"The track was fresh and the man started 
on a run, for he was a good hunter and as 
fast as a Deer. Of course he gained on Old- 
man, who was a much slower traveller; and 
the Sun was not very high when the old thief 
stopped on a hilltop to look back. He saw 
the man coming fast. 

"'This will never do,' he said to himself. 
*That queer person will catch me. I know 
what I shall do; I shall turn myself into a 
dead Bull-Elk and lie down. Then he will pass 
me and I can go where I please. ' 

"He took off his moccasins and said to 
them: 'Moccasins, go on toward the west. 
Keep going and making plain tracks in the 
snow toward the big-water where the Sun 
sleeps. The queer-one will follow you, and 
when you pass out of the snowy country, 
you can lose him. Go quickly for he is close 
upon us.' 

"The moccasins ran away as Old-man wanted 
them to, and they made plain tracks in the 

109 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

snow leading away toward the big-water. Old- 
man turned into a dead Bull-Elk and stretched 
himself near the tracks the moccasins had 
made. 

"Up the hill came the man, his breath short 
from running. He saw the dead Elk, and 
thought it might be OW-man playing a trick. 
He was about to shoot an arrow into the dead 
Elk to make sure; but just as he was about to 
let the arrow go, he saw the tracks the moc- 
casins had made. Of course he thought the 
moccasins were on 0/6^-man's feet, and that 
the carcass was really that of a dead Elk. He 
was badly fooled and took the tracks again. 
On and on he went, following the moccasins 
over hills and rivers. Faster than before went 
the man, and still faster travelled the empty 
moccasins, the trail growing dimmer and dim- 
mer as the daylight faded. All day long, 
and all of the night the man followed the 
tracks without rest or food, and just at day- 
break he came to the shore of the big-water. 

110 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

There, right by the water's edge, stood the 
empty moccasins, side by side. 

"The man turned and looked back. His 
eyes were red and his legs were trembling. 
* Caw — caw, caw,' he heard a Crow say. Right 
over his head he saw the black bird and knew 
him, too. 

"*Ho! Old-man, you were in that dead 
Bull-Elk. You fooled me, and now you are a 
Crow. You think you will escape me, do you ? 
Well, you will not; for I, too, know magic, 
and am wise.' 

"With a stick the man drew a cricle in the 
sand. Then he stood within the ring and 
sang a song. Old-man was worried and 
watched the strange doings from the air over- 
head. Inside the circle the man began to 
whirl about so rapidly that he faded from 
sight, and from the centre of the circle there 
came an Eagle. Straight at the Crow flew the 
Eagle, and away toward the mountains sped 
the Crow, in fright. 

Ill 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"The Crow knew that the Eagle would catch 
him, so that as soon as he reached the trees 
on the mountains he turned himself into a 
Wren and sought the small bushes under the 
tall trees. The Eagle saw the change, and 
at once began turning over and over in the 
air. When he had reached the ground, in- 
stead of an Eagle a Sparrow-hawk chased the 
Wren. Now the chase was fast indeed, for no 
place could the Wren find in which to hide 
from the Sparrow-hawk. Through the brush, 
into trees, among the weeds and grass, flew 
the Wren with the Hawk close behind. Once 
the Sparrow-hawk picked a feather from the 
Wren's tail — so close was he to his victim. 
It was nearly over with the Wren, when he 
suddenly came to a park along a river's side. 
In this park were a hundred lodges of our 
people, and before a fine lodge there sat the 
daughter of the chief. It was growing dark 
and chilly, but still she sat there looking at 
the river. The Sparrow-hawk was striking at 

112 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the Wren with his beak and talons, when the 
Wren saw the young-woman and flew straight 
to her. So swift he flew that the young-woman 
didn't see him at all, but she felt something 
strike her hand, and when she looked she 
saw a bone ring on her finger. This frightened 
her, and she ran inside the lodge, where the 
fire kept the shadows from coming. Old- 
man had changed into the ring, of course, 
and the Sparrow-hawk didn't dare to go into 
the lodge; so he stopped outside and listened. 
This is what he heard OW-man say: 

"'Don't be frightened, young- woman, I 
am neither a Wren nor a ring. I am OW-man 
and that Sparrow-hawk has chased me all the 
day and for nothing. I have never done him 
harm, and he bothers me without reason.' 

"'Liar — forked-tongue,' cried the Sparrow- 
hawk. 'Believe him not, young-woman. He 
has done wrong. He is wicked and I am not 
a Sparrow-hawk, but conscience. Like an ar- 
row I travel, straight and fast. When he 

113 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

lies or steals from his friends I follow him. 
I talk all the time and he hears me, but lies to 
himself, and says he does not hear. You 
know who I am, young-woman, I am what 
talks inside a person.' 

**0/^-man heard what the Sparrow-hawk 
said, and he was ashamed for once in his life. 
He crawled out of the lodge. Into the shadows 
he ran away — away into the night, and the 
darkness — away from himself ! 

"You see," said War Eagle, as he reached 
for his pipe, "Old-man knew that he had done 
wrong, and his heart troubled him, just as 
yours will bother you if you do not listen to 
the voice that speaks within yourselves. When- 
ever that voice says a thing is wicked, it is 
wicked — no matter who says it is not. Yes 
— it is very hard for a man to hide from him- 
self. Ho!" 



114 











/jfe=- 






T . 



^^ 



OZ,Z)-MAN'S TREACHERY 



OLD-MAN'S TREACHERY 

rr^HE next afternoon Muskrat and Fine 
-■- Bow went hunting. They hid them- 
selves in some brush which grew beside an 
old game trail that followed the river, and 
there waited for a chance deer. 

Chickadees hopped and called, **chick-a-de- 
de-de" in the willows and wild-rose bushes that 
grew near their hiding-place; and the gentle 
little birds with their pretty coats were often 
within a few inches of the hands of the young 
hunters. In perfect silence they watched and 
admired these little friends, while glance or 
smile conveyed their appreciation of the bird- 
visits to each other. 

The wind was coming down the stream, and 
therefore the eyes of the boys seldom left the 
trail in that direction; for from that quarter 
an approaching deer would be unwarned by 

117 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the ever-busy breeze. A rabbit came hopping 
down the game trail in believed perfect se- 
curity, passing so close to Fine Bow that he 
could not resist the desire to strike at him with 
an arrow. Both boys were obliged to cover 
their mouths with their open hands to keep 
from laughing aloud at the surprise and speed 
shown by the frightened bunny, as he scurried 
around a bend in the trail, uith his white, 
pudgy tail bobbing rapidly. 

They had scarcely regained their compo- 
sure and silence when, "snap!" went a dry 
stick. The sharp sound sent a thrill through 
the hearts of the boys, and instantly they 
became rigidly watchful. Not a leaf could 
move on the ground now — not a bush might 
bend or a bird pass and escape being seen by 
the four sharp eyes that peered from the brush 
in the direction indicated by the sound of 
the breaking stick. Two hearts beat loudly 
as Fine Bow fitted his arrow to the bowstring. 
Tense and expectant they waited — yes, it 

118 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

was a deer — a buck, too, and he was coming 
down the trail, alert and watchful — down 
the trail that he had often travelled and knew 
so well. Yes, he had followed his mother 
along that trail when he was but a spotted 
fawn — now he wore antlers, and was master 
of his own ways. On he came — nearly to the 
brush that hid the hunters, when, throwing 
his beautiful head high in the air, he stopped, 
turning his side a trifle. 

Zipp — went the arrow and, kicking out 
behind, away went the buck, crashing through 
willows and alders that grew in his way, until 
he was out of sight. Then all was still, save 
the chick-a-de-de-de, chick-a-de-de-de, that 
came constantly from the bushes about them. 

Out from the cover came the hunters, and 
with ready bow they followed along the trail. 
Yes — there was blood on a log, and more 
on the dead leaves. The arrow had found its 
mark and they must go slowly in their trailing, 
lest they lose the meat. For two hours they 

119 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

followed the wounded animal, and at last 
came upon him in a willow thicket — sick 
unto death, for the arrow was deep in his 
paunch. His sufferings were ended by another 
arrow, and the chase was done. 

With their knives the boys dressed the buck, 
and then went back to the camp to tell the 
women where the meat could be found — just 
as the men do. It was their first deer; and 
pride shone in their faces as they told their 
grandfather that night in the lodge. 

"That is good," War Eagle replied, as the 
boys finished telling of their success. "That 
is good, if your mother needed the meat, but 
it is wrong to kill when you have plenty, lest 
Manitou be angry. There is always enough, 
but none to waste, and the hunter who kills 
more than he needs is wicked. To-night I shall 
tell you what happened to Old-man when he did 
that. Yes, and he got into trouble over it. 

"One day in the fall when the leaves were 
yellow, and the Deer-people were dressed in 

120 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

their blue robes — when the Geese and Duck- 
people were travelling to the country where 
water does not freeze, and where flowers never 
die, 0ld-m3.n was travelling on the plains. 

"Near sundown he saw two Buffalo-Bulls 
feeding on a steep hillside; but he had no 
bow and arrow with him. He was hungry, 
and began to think of some way to kill one 
of the Bulls for meat. Very soon he thought 
out a plan, for he is cunning always. 

"He ran around the hill out of sight of the 
Bulls, and there made two men out of grass 
and sage-brush. They were dummies, of 
course, but he made them to look just like real 
men, and then armed each with a wooden 
knife of great length. Then he set them in 
the position of fighting; made them look as 
though they were about to fight each other 
with the knives. When he had them both 
fixed to suit, he ran back to the place where 
the Buffalo were calling: 

"*Ho! brothers, wait for me — do not run 

121 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

away. There are two fine men on the other 
side of this hill, and they are quarrelling. 
They will surely fight unless we stop them. 
It all started over you two Bulls, too. One 
of the men says you are fat and fine, and the 
other claims you are poor and skinny. Don't 
let our brothers fight over such a foolish thing 
as that. It would be wicked. Now I can 
decide it, if you will let me feel all over you 
to see if you are fat or poor. Then I will go 
back to the men and settle the trouble by tell- 
ing them the truth. Stand still and let me feel 
your sides — quick, lest the fight begin while 
I am away.' 

**'A11 right,' said the Bulls, 'but don't you 
tickle us.' Then Old-man walked up close 
and commenced to feel about the Bulls' sides; 
but his heart was bad. From his robe he 
slipped his great knife, and slyly felt about 
till he found the spot where the heart beats, 
and then stabbed the knife into the place, 
clear up to the hilt. 

122 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Both of the Bulls died right away, and 
Old-man laughed at the trick he had played 
upon them. Then he gave a knife to both of 
his hands, and said: 

" * Get to work, both of you ! Skin these 
Bulls while I sit here and boss you. ' 

"Both hands commenced to skin the Buf- 
falo, but the right hand was much the swifter 
worker. It gained upon the left hand rapidly, 
and this made the left hand angry. Finally the 
left hand called the right hand * dog-face.' 
That is the very worst thing you can call a 
person in our language, you know, and of 
course it made the right hand angry. So 
crazy and angry was the right hand that it 
stabbed the left hand, and then they began to 
fight in earnest. 

"Both cut and slashed till blood covered 
the animals they were skinning. All this fight- 
ing hurt 0/^-man badly, of course, and he 
commenced to cry, as women do sometimes. 
This stopped the fight; but still Old-man cried, 

123 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

till, drying his tears, he saw a Red Fox sitting 
near the Bulls, watching him. 'Hi, there, you 
— go away from there ! If you want meat 
you go and kill it, as I did.' 

" Red Fox laughed — ' Ha ! — Ha ! — Ha ! — 
foolish OW-man — Ha! — ha!' Then he ran 
away and told the other Foxes and the Wolves 
and the Coyotes about OW-man's meat. Told 
them that his own hands couldn't get along 
with themselves and that it would be easy 
to steal it from him. 

''They all followed the Red Fox back to 
the place where 0/^-man was, and there they 
ate all of the meat — every bit, and polished 
the bones. 

"OM-man couldn't stop them, because he 
was hurt, you see; but it all came about through 
lying and killing more meat than he needed. 
Yes — he lied and that is bad, but his hands 
got to quarrelling between themselves, and 
family quarrels are always bad. Do not lie; 
do not quarrel. It is bad. Ho!" 

124 



ff 















^< •>• --^ 



WHY THE NIGHT-HAWK'S WINGS ARE 
BEAUTIFUL 



WHY THE NIGHT-HAWK'S WINGS ARE 
BEAUTIFUL 



I 



WAS awakened by the voice of the camp- 
crier, and although it was yet dark I listened 
to his message. 

The camp was to move. All were to go to 
the mouth of the Maria's — "The River That 
Scolds at the Other"— the Indians call this 
stream, that disturbs the waters of the Mis- 
souri with its swifter flood. 

On through the camp the crier rode, and 
behind him the lodge-fires glowed in answer 
to his call. The village was awake, and soon 
the thunder of hundreds of hoofs told me that 
the pony-bands were being driven into camp, 
where the faithful were being roped for the 
journey. Fires flickered in the now fading 
darkness, and down came the lodges as though 

127 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

wizard hands had touched them. Before the 
sun had come to light the world, we were 
on our way to "The River That Scolds at the 
Other." 

Not a cloud was in the sky, and the wind 
was still. The sun came and touched the 
plains and hilltops with the light that makes 
all wild things glad. Here and there a jack- 
rabbit scurried away, often followed by a 
pack of dogs, and sometimes, though not often, 
they were overtaken and devoured on the 
spot. Bands of graceful antelope bounded out 
of our way, stopping on a knoll to watch the 
strange procession with wondering eyes, and 
once we saw a dust-cloud raised by a moving 
herd of buffalo, in the distance. 

So the day wore on, the scene constantly 
changing as we travelled. Wolves and coyotes 
looked at us from almost every knoll and hill- 
top; and sage-hens sneaked to cover among 
the patches of sage-brush, scarcely ten feet 
away from our ponies. Toward sundown we 

128 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

reached a grove of cottonwoods near the mouth 
of the Maria's, and in an incredibly short 
space of time the lodges took form. Soon, 
from out the tops of a hundred camps, smoke 
was curling just as though the lodges had 
been there always, and would forever remain. 

As soon as supper was over I found the 
children, and together we sought War Eagle's 
lodge. He was in a happy mood and insisted 
upon smoking two pipes before commencing 
his story-telling. At last he said: 

"To-night I shall tell you why the Night- 
hawk wears fine clothes. My grandfather told 
me about it when I was young. I am sure 
you have seen the Night-hawk sailing over 
you, dipping and making that strange noise. 
Of course there is a reason for it. 

''Old-msLU was travelling one day in the 
springtime; but the weather was fine for that 
time of year. He stopped often and spoke to 
the bird-people and to the animal-people, for 
he was in good humor that day. He talked 

129 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

pleasantly with the trees, and his heart grew 
tender. That is, he had good thoughts; and 
of course they made him happy. Finally he 
felt tired and sat down to rest on a big, round 
stone — the kind of stone our white friend 
there calls a bowlder. Here he rested for a 
while, but the stone was cold, and he felt it 
through his robe; so he said: 

'"Stone, you seem cold to-day. You may 
have my robe. I have hundreds of robes in 
my camp, and I don't need this one at all.' 
That was a lie he told about having so many 
robes. All he had was the one he wore. 

"He spread his robe over the stone, and 
then started down the hill, naked, for it was 
really a fine day. But storms hide in the 
mountains, and are never far away when it is 
springtime. Soon it began to snow — then 
the wind blew from the north with a good 
strength behind it. Old-man said: 

"'Well, I guess I do need that robe myself, 
after all. That stone never did anything for 

130 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

me anyhow. Nobody is ever good to a stone. 
I '11 just go back and get my robe. ' 

"Back he went and found the stone. Then 
he pulled the robe away, and wrapped it about 
himself. Ho! but that made the stone angry 
— Ho ! 0/^-man started to run down the 
hill, and the stone ran after him. Ho! it 
was a funny race they made, over the grass, 
over smaller stones, and over logs that lay 
in the way, but Old-man managed to keep 
ahead until he stubbed his toe on a big 
sage-brush, and fell — swow ! 

"'Now I have you!' cried the stone — *now 
I '11 kill you, too ! Now I will teach you to 
give presents and then take them away,' 
and the stone rolled right on top of Old-man, 
and sat on his back. 

"It was a big stone, you see, and Old-man 
couldn't move it at all. He tried to throw 
off the stone but failed. He squirmed and 
twisted — no use — the stone held him fast. 
He called the stone some names that are not 

131 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

good; but that never helps any. At last he 
began to call: 

" ' Help ! — Help ! — Help ! ' but nobody 
heard him except the Night-hawk, and he 
told the Old-man that he would help him all 
he could ; so he flew away up in the air — so 
far that he looked like a black speck. Then 
he came down straight and struck that rock 
an awful blow — * swow ! ' — and broke it in 
two pieces. Indeed he did. The blow was 
so great that it spoiled the Night-hawk's bill, 
forever — made it queer in shape, and jammed 
his head, so that it is queer, too. But he 
broke the rock, and Old-man stood upon his 
feet. 

"'Thank you, Brother Night-hawk,' said Old- 
man, 'now I will do something for you. I 
am going to make you different from other 
birds — make you so people will always notice 
you.' 

"You know that when you break a rock 
the powdered stone is white, like snow; and 

132 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

there is always some of the white powder 
whenever you break a rock, by pounding it. 
Well, Old-mELVi took some of the fine powdered 
stone and shook it on the Night-hawk's wings 
in spots and stripes — made the great white 
stripes you have seen on his wings, and told 
him that no other bird could have such marks 
on his clothes. 

"All the Night-hawk's children dress the 
same way now; and they always will as long 
as there are Night-hawks. Of course their 
clothes make them proud; and that is why they 
keep at flying over people's heads — soaring 
and dipping and turning all the time, to show 
off their pretty wings. 

"That is all for to-night. Muskrat, tell 
your father I would run Buffalo with him to- 
morrow — Ho!" 



133 







:^» 



WHY THE MOUNTAIN-LION IS 
LONG AND LEAN 



WHY THE MOUNTAIN-LION IS 
LONG AND LEAN 

HAVE you ever seen the plains in the 
morning — a June morning, when the 
spurred lark soars and sings — when the plover 
calls, and the curlew pipes his shriller notes 
to the rising sun? Then is there music, in- 
deed, for no bird outsings the spurred lark; 
and thanks to Old-man he is not wanting in 
numbers, either. The plains are wonderful 
then — more wonderful than they are at this 
season of the year; but at all times they beckon 
and hold one as in a spell, especially when 
they are backed or bordered by a snow-capped 
mountain range. Looking toward the east 
they are boundless, but on their western edge 
superb mountains rear themselves. 

All over this vast country the Indians 
roamed, following the great buffalo herds as 

137 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

did the wolves, and making their living with 
the bow and lance, since the horse came to 
them. In the very old days the "piskun" 
was used, and buffalo were enticed to follow 
a fantastically dressed man toward a cliff, far 
enough to get the herd moving in that direc- 
tion, when the "buffalo-man" gained cover, 
and hidden Indians raised from their hiding- 
places behind the animals, and drove them 
over the cliff, where they were killed in large 
numbers. 

Not until Cortez came with his cavalry from 
Spain, were there horses on this continent, and 
then generations passed ere the plains tribes 
possessed this valuable animal, that so ma- 
terially changed their lives. Dogs dragged 
the Indian's travois or packed his household 
goods in the days before the horse came, and 
for hundreds — perhaps thousands of years, 
these people had no other means of trans- 
porting their goods and chattels. As the Indian 
is slow to forget or change the ways of his 

138 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

father, we should pause before we brand him 
as wholly improvident, I think. 

He has always been a family-man, has the 
Indian, and small children had to be carried, 
as well as his camp equipage. Wolf-dogs had 
to be fed, too, in some way, thus adding to his 
burden; for it took a great many to make it 
possible for him to travel at all. 

When the night came and we visited War 
Eagle, we found he had other company — so 
we waited until their visit was ended before 
settling ourselves to hear the story that he 
might tell us. 

"The Crows have stolen some of our best 
horses," said War Eagle, as soon as the other 
guests had gone. ''That is all right — we 
shall get them back, and more, too. The 
Crows have only borrowed those horses and 
will pay for their use with others of their own. 
To-night I shall tell you why the Mountain- 
lion is so long and thin and why he wears 
hair that looks singed. I shall also tell you 

139 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

why that person's nose is black, because it 
is part of the story. 

"A long time ago the Mountain-lion was 
a short, thick-set person. I am sure you 
didn't guess that. He was always a great 
thief like 0/^-man, but once he went too far, 
as you shall see. 

"One day Old-rmn was on a hilltop, and 
saw smoke curling up through the trees, away 
off on the far side of a gulch. * Ho ! ' he said, 
*I wonder who builds fires except me. I guess 
I will go and find out.' 

"He crossed the gulch and crept carefully 
toward the smoke. When he got quite near 
where the fire was, he stopped and listened. 
He heard some loud laughing but could not 
see who it was that felt so glad and gay. 
Finally he crawled closer and peeked through 
the brush toward the fire. Then he saw some 
Squirrel-people, and they were playing some 
sort of game. They were running and laugh- 
ing, and having a big time, too. What do 

140 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

you think they were doing? They were run- 
ning about the fire — all chasing one Squirrel. 
As soon as the Squirrel was caught, they would 
bury him in the ashes near the fire until he 
cried; then they would dig him out in a hurry. 
Then another Squirrel would take the lead 
and run until he was caught, as ' the other 
had been. In turn the captive would sub- 
mit to being buried, and so on — while the 
racing and laughing continued. They never 
left the buried one in the ashes after he cried, 
but always kept their promise and dug him 
out, right away. 

"'Say, let me play, won't you?' asked 
Old-man. But the Squirrel-people all ran 
away, and he had a hard time getting them 
to return to the fire. 

"'You can't play this game,' replied the 
Chief-Squirrel, after they had returned to the 

fire. 

"'Yes, I can,' declared 0/^-man, 'and you 
may bury me first, but be sure to dig me out 

141 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

when I cry, and not let me burn, for those 
ashes are hot near the fire. ' 

'"All right,' said the Chief-Squirrel, *we 
will let you play. Lie down, ' — and Old- 
man did lie down near the fire. Then the 
Squirrels began to laugh and bury OW-man 
in the ashes, as they did their own kind. In 
no time at all Old-man cried : * Ouch ! — you 
are burning me — quick ! — dig me out. ' 

"True to their promise, the Squirrel-people 
dug Old-man out of the ashes, and laughed 
at him because he cried so quickly. 

" * Now, it is my turn to cover the captive, * 
said Old-man, 'and as there are so many of 
you, I have a scheme that will make the game 
funnier and shorter. All of you lie down at 
once in a row. Then I will cover you all at 
one time. When you cry — I will dig you 
out right away and the game will be over. ' 

"They didn't know Old-man very well; so 
they said, 'all right,' and then they all laid 
down in a row about the fire. 

142 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"0/rf-man buried them all in the ashes — 
then he threw some more wood on the fire 
and went away and left them. Every Squirrel 
there was in the world was buried in the ashes 
except one woman Squirrel, and she told 0/^- 
man she couldn't play and had to go home. 
If she hadn't gone, there might not be any 
Squirrels in this world right now. Yes, it 
is lucky that she went home. 

"For a minute or so Old-man watched the 
fire as it grew hotter, and then went down to 
a creek where willows grew and made him- 
self a great plate by weaving them together. 
When he had finished making the plate, he 
returned to the fire, and it had burned low 
again. He laughed at his wicked work, and 
a Raven, flying over just then, called him 
* f orked- tongue, ' or liar, but he didn't mind 
that at all. Old-man cut a long stick and 
began to dig out the Squirrel-people. One 
by one he fished them out of the hot ashes;: 
and they were roasted fine and were ready to 

143 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

eat. As he fished them out he counted them, 
and laid them on the willow plate he had 
made. When he had dug out the last one, 
he took the plate to the creek and there sat 
down to eat the Squirrels, for he was hungry, 
as usual. Old-man is a big eater, but he 
couldn't eat all of the Squirrels at once, and 
while eating he fell asleep with the great plate 
in his lap. 

** Nobody knows how long it was that he 
slept, but when he waked his plate of Squirrels 
was gone — gone completely. He looked be- 
hind him; he looked about him; but the plate 
was surely gone. Ho! But he was angry. 
He stamped about in the brush and called 
aloud to those who might hear him; but no- 
body answered, and then he started to look 
for the thief. 0/<^-man has sharp eyes, and he 
found the trail in the grass where somebody 
had passed while he slept. *Ho!' he said, 
*the Mountain-lion has stolen my Squirrels. 
I see his footprints; see where he has mashed 

144 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the grass as he walked with those soft feet 
of his; but I shall find him, for I made him 
and know all his ways.' 

"OW-man got down on his hands and knees 
to walk as the Bear-people do, just as he did 
that night in the Sun's lodge, and followed 
the trail of the Mountain-lion over the hills 
and through the swamps. At last he came 
to a place where the grass was all bent down, 
and there he found his willow plate, but it 
was empty. That was the place where the 
Mountain-lion had stopped to eat the rest 
of the Squirrels, you know; but he didn't stay 
there long because he expected that Old-man 
would try to follow him. 

"The Mountain-lion had eaten so much 
that he was sleepy and, after travelling a while 
after he had eaten the Squirrels, he thought 
he would rest. He hadn't intended to go 
to sleep; but he crawled upon a big stone near 
the foot of a hill and sat down where he could 
see a long way. Here his eyes began to wink, 

145 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and his head began to nod, and finally he 
slept. 

** Without stopping once, 0/^-man kept on 
the trail. That is what counts — sticking right 
to the thing you are doing — and just before 
sundown Old-man saw the sleeping Lion. Care- 
fully, lest he wake the sleeper, Old-man crept 
close, being particular not to move a stone or 
break a twig; for the Mountain-lion is much 
faster than men are, you see; and if Old-man 
had wakened the Lion, he would never have 
caught him again, perhaps. Little by little 
he crept to the stone where the Mountain- 
lion was dreaming, and at last grabbed him 
by the tail. It wasn't much of a tail then, 
but enough for Old-man to hold to. Ho! 
The Lion was scared and begged hard, saying: 

"'Spare me. Old -man. You were full and 
I was hungry. I had to have something to 
eat; had to get my living. Please let me go 
and do not hurt me.' Ho! Old-man was 
angry — more angry than he was when he 

146 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

waked and found that he had been robbed, 
because he had travelled so far on his hands 
and knees. 

"'I'll show you. I'll teach you. I'll fix 
you, right now. Steal from me, will you? 
Steal from the man that made you, you night- 
prowling rascal!' 

'*OW-man put his foot behind the Moun- 
tain-lion's head, and, still holding the tail, 
pulled hard and long, stretching the Lion 
out to great length. He squalled and cried, 
but Old-man kept pulling until he nearly 
broke the Mountain-lion in two pieces — 
until he couldn't stretch him any more. Then 
Old-man put his foot on the Mountain-lion's 
back, and, still holding the tail, stretched 
that out until the tail was nearly as long as 
the body. 

"'There, you thief — now you are too long 
and lean to get fat, and you shall always look 
just like that. Your children shall all grow 
to look the same way, just to pay you for your 

147 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

stealing from the man that made you. Come 
on with me'; and he dragged the poor Lion 
back to the place where the fire was, and 
there rolled him in the hot ashes, singeing his 
robe till it looked a great deal like burnt 
hair. Then Old-man stuck the Lion's nose 
against the burnt logs and blackened it some 
— that is why his face looks as it does to-day. 

"The Mountain-lion was lame and sore, 
but OW-man scolded him some more and 
told him that it would take lots more food to 
keep him after that, and that he would have 
to work harder to get his living, to pay for 
what he had done. Then he said, 'go now, 
and remember all the Mountain-lions that ever 
live shall look just as you do.' And they 
do, too! 

"That is the story — that is why the Moun- 
tain-lion is so long and lean, but he is no 
bigger thief than Old-man, nor does he tell any 
more lies. Ho!" 



148 



fjc' 



^ >> 







\t 



'^>^'%)^'-- 



frhidi 






ill' ^'''^^^"' 

A/ 

^ 






THE FIRE-LEGGINGS 



i 



THE FIRE-LEGGINGS 

'T^HERE had been a sudden change in the 
-■- weather. A cold rain was faUing, and 
the night comes early when the clouds hang 
low. The children loved a bright fire, and 
to-night War Eagle's lodge was light as day. 
Away off on the plains a wolf was howling, and 
the rain pattered upon the lodge as though 
it never intended to quit. It was a splendid 
night for story-telling, and War Eagle filled and 
lighted the great stone pipe, while the children 
made themselves comfortable about the fire. 

A spark sprang from the burning sticks, and 
fell upon Fine Bow's bare leg. They all laughed 
heartily at the boy's antics to rid himself of 
the burning coal; and as soon as the laughing 
ceased War Eagle laid aside the pipe. An 
Indian's pipe is large to look at, but holds 
little tobacco. 

151 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"See your shadows on the lodge wall?" 
asked the old warrior. The children said they 
saw them, and he continued: 

"Some day I will tell you a story about them, 
and how they drew the arrows of our enemies, 
but to-night I am going to tell you of the great 
fire-leggings. 

"It was long before there were men and 
women on the world, but my grandfather told 
me what I shall now tell you. 

"The gray light that hides the night-stars 
was creeping through the forests, and the 
wind the Sun sends to warn the people of his 
coming was among the fir tops. Flowers, on 
slender stems, bent their heads out of respect 
for the herald-wind's Master, and from the 
dead top of a pine-tree the Yellowhammer 
beat upon his drum and called 'the Sun is 
awake — all hail the Sun ! ' 

"Then the bush-birds began to sing the song 
of the morning, and from alders the Robins 
joined, until all live things were awakened by 

152 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the great music. Where the tall ferns grew, 
the Doe waked her Fawns, and taught them 
to do homage to the Great Light. In the 
creeks, where the water was still and clear, 
and where throughout the day, like a delicate 
damaskeen, the shadows of leaves that over- 
hang would lie, the Speckled Trout broke the 
surface of the pool in his gladness of the com- 
ing day. Pine-squirrels chattered gayly, and 
loudly proclaimed what the wind had told; 
and all the shadows were preparing for a great 
journey to the Sand Hills, where the ghost- 
people dwell. 

"Under a great spruce-tree — where the 
ground was soft and dry, 0/^-man slept. The 
joy that thrilled creation disturbed him not, 
although the Sun was near. The bird-people 
looked at the sleeper in wonder, but the Pine- 
squirrel climbed the great spruce-tree with a 
pine-cone in his mouth. Quickly he ran out 
on the limb that spread over Old-man, and 
dropped the cone on the sleeper's face. Then 

153 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

he scolded Old-man, saying : * Get up — get 
up — lazy one — lazy one — get up — get up. ' 

"Rubbing his eyes in anger, Old-man sat 
up and saw the Sun coming — his hunting leg- 
gings slipping through the thickets — setting 
them afire, till all the Deer and Elk ran out 
and sought new places to hide. 

"*Ho, Sun !' called Old-man, 'those are mighty 
leggings you wear. No wonder you are a great 
hunter. Your leggings set fire to all the thick- 
ets, and by the light you can easily see the 
Deer and Elk; they cannot hide. Ho! Give 
them to me and I shall then be the great hunter 
and never be hungry.' 

"'Good,' said the Sun, 'take them, and let 
me see you wear my leggings.' 

*' Old-man was glad in his heart, for he was 
lazy, and now he thought he could kill the 
game without much work, and that he could 
be a great hunter — as great as the Sun. He 
put on the leggings and at once began to hunt 
the thickets, for he was hungry. Very soon 

154 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the leggings began to burn his legs. The faster 
he travelled the hotter they grew, until in pain 
he cried out to the Sun to come and take back 
his leggings; but the Sun would not hear him. 
On and on 0/^-man ran. Faster and faster he 
flew through the country, setting fire to the 
brush and grass as he passed. Finally he came 
to a great river, and jumped in. Sizzzzzzz — 
the water said, when Old-man's legs touched it. 
It cried out, as it does when it is sprinkled upon 
hot stones in the sweat-lodge, for the leggings 
were very hot. But standing in the cool water 
Old-man took off the leggings and threw them 
out upon the shore, where the Sun found them 
later in the day. 

"The Sun's clothes were too big for Old- 
man, and his work too great. 

"We should never ask to do the things which 
Manitou did not intend us to do. If we keep 
this always in mind we shall never get into 
trouble. 

"Be yourselves always. That is what Man- 

155 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

itou intended. Never blame the Wolf for what 
he does. He was made to do such things. 
Now I want you to go to your fathers' lodges 
and sleep. To-morrow night I will tell you 
why there are so many snakes in the world. 
Ho!" 



156 




THE MOON AND THE GREAT SNAKE 



THE MOON AND THE GREAT SNAKE 

THE rain had passed; the moon looked 
down from a clear sky, and the bushes 
and dead grass smelled wet, after the hea\'y 
storm. A cottontail ran into a clump of 
wild-rose bushes near War Eagle's lodge, and 
some dogs were close behind the frightened 
animal, as he gained cover. Little Buffalo Calf 
threw^ a stone into the bushes, scaring the 
rabbit from his hiding-place, and away went 
bunny, followed by the yelping pack. We 
stood and listened until the noise of the chase 
died away, and then went into the lodge, where 
we were greeted, as usual, by War Eagle. 
To-night he smoked; but with greater cere- 
mony, and I suspected that it had something 
to do with the forthcoming story. Finally he 
said: 
"You have seen many Snakes, I suppose?" 

159 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Yes," replied the children, "we have seen 
a great many. In the summer we see them 
every day." 

"Well," continued the story-teller, "once 
there was only one Snake on the whole world, 
and he was a big one, I tell you. He was pretty 
to look at, and was painted with all the colors 
we know. This snake was proud of his clothes 
and had a wicked heart. Most Snakes are 
wicked, because they are his relations. 

"Now, I have not told you all about it yet, 
nor will I tell you to-night, but the Moon is 
the Sun's wife, and some day I shall tell you 
that story, but to-night I am telling you about 
the Snakes. 

"You know that the Sun goes early to bed, 
and that the Moon most always leaves before 
he gets to the lodge. Sometimes this is not so, 
but that is part of another story. 

"This big Snake used to crawl up a high hill 
and watch the Moon in the sky. He was in 
love with her, and she knew it; but she paid 

160 




'This big Snake used to crawl up a high hill and watch the Moon 
in the sky" 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

no attention to him. She Hked his looks, for 
his clothes were fine, and he was always slick 
and smooth. This went on for a long time, 
but she never talked to him at all. The Snake 
thought maybe the hill wasn't high enough, so 
he found a higher one, and watched the Moon 
pass, from the top. Every night he climbed 
this high hill and motioned to her. She began 
to pay more attention to the big Snake, and 
one morning early, she loafed at her work a 
little, and spoke to him. He was flattered, 
and so was she, because he said many nice 
things to her, but she went on to the Sun's 
lodge, and left the Snake. 

"The next morning very early she saw the 
Slake again, and this time she stopped a long 
time — so long that the Sun had started out 
from the lodge before she reached home. He 
wondered what kept her so long, and became 
suspicious of the Snake. He made up his 
mind to watch, and try to catch them together. 
So every morning the Sun left the lodge a little 

161 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

earlier than before; and one morning, just as 
he climbed a mountain, he saw the big Snake 
talking to the Moon. That made him angry, 
and you can't blame him, because his wife 
was spending her time loafing with a Snake. 

"She ran away; ran to the Sun's lodge and 
left the Snake on the hill. In no time the 
Sun had grabbed him. My, the Sun was 
angry! The big Snake begged, and promised 
never to speak to the Moon again, but the Sun 
had him; and he smashed him into thousands 
of little pieces, all of different colors from the 
different parts of his painted body. The little 
pieces each turned into a little snake, just as you 
see them now, but they were all too small for 
the Moon to notice after that. That is how so 
many Snakes came into the world; and that is 
why they are all small, nowadays. 

"Our people do not like the Snake-people 
very well, but we know that they were made 
to do something on this world, and that they 
do it, or they wouldn't live here. 

162 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"That was a short story, but to-morrow night 
I will tell you why the Deer-people have no 
gall on their livers; and why the Antelope- 
people do not wear dew-claws, for you should 
know that there are no other animals with 
cloven hoofs that are like them in this. 

"I am tired to-night, and I will ask that 
you go to your lodges, that I may sleep, for I 
am getting old. Ho!" 



163 




WHY THE DEER HAS NO GALL 



WHY THE DEER HAS NO GALL 

T3 RIGHT and early the next morning the 
^-^ children were playing on the bank of **The 
River That Scolds the Other," when Fine Bow 
said: 

"Let us find a Deer's foot, and the foot of 
an Antelope and look at them, for to-night 
grandfather will tell us why the Deer has the 
dew-claws, and why the Antelope has none." 

"Yes, and let us ask mother if the Deer has 
no gall on its liver. Maybe she can show both 
the liver of a Deer and that of an Antelope; 
then we can see for ourselves," said Blue- 
bird. 

So they began to look about where the hides 
had been grained for tanning; and sure enough, 
there were the feet of both the antelope and 
the deer. On the deer's feet, or legs, they 

167 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

found the dew-claws, but on the antelope there 
were none. This made them all anxious to 
know why these animals, so nearly alike, should 
differ in this way. 

Bluebird's mother passed the children on her 
way to the river for water, and the little girl 
asked: "Say, mother, does the Deer have gall 
on his liver?" 

"No, my child, but the Antelope does; and 
your grandfather will tell you why if you ask 
him." 

That night in the lodge War Eagle placed 
before his grandchildren the leg of a deer and 
the leg of an antelope, as well as the liver of a 
deer and the liver of an antelope. 

"See for yourselves that this thing is true, 
before I tell you why it is so, and how it hap- 
pened." 

"We see," they replied, "and to-day we found 
that these strange things are true, but we don't 
know why, grandfather." 

"Of course you don't know why. Nobody 

168 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

knows that until he is told, and now I shall tell 
you, so you will always know, and tell your 
children, that they, too, may know. 

**It was long, long ago, of course. All these 
things happened long ago when the world was 
young, as you are now. It was on a summer 
morning, and the Deer was travelling across 
the plains country to reach the mountains on 
the far-off side, where he had relatives. He 
grew thirsty, for it was very warm, and stopped 
to drink from a water-hole on the plains. When 
he had finished drinking he looked up, and there 
was his own cousin, the Antelope, drinking near 
him. 

'"Good morning, cousin,' said the Deer. 
* It is a warm morning and water tastes good, 
doesn't it?' 

***Yes,' replied the Antelope, *it is warm 
to-day, but I can beat you running, just the 
same.' 

"* Ha-ha!' laughed the Deer — * you beat me 
running? Why, you can't run half as fast as 

169 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

I can, but if you want to run a race let us bet 
something. What shall it be ? ' 

*"I will bet you my gall-sack,' replied the 
Antelope. 

"'Good,' said the Deer, 'but let us run to- 
ward that range of mountains, for I am going 
that way, anyhow, to see my relations.' 

"'All right,' said the Antelope. 'All ready, 
and here we go.' 

"Away they ran toward the far-off range. 
All the way the Antelope was far ahead of the 
Deer; and just at the foot of the mountains 
he stopped to wait for him to catch up. 

"Both were out of breath from running, but 
both declared they had done their best, and the 
Deer, being beaten, gave the Antelope his sack 
of gall. 

"'This ground is too flat for me,' said the 
Deer. 'Come up the hillside where the gulches 
cut the country, and rocks are in our way, 
and I will show you how to run. I can't run 
on flat ground. It 's too easy for me.' 

170 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"*A11 right,' replied the Antelope, *I will run 
another race with you on your own ground, and 
I think I can beat you there, too.' 

"Together they climbed the hill until they 
reached a rough country, when the Deer 
said: 

"'This is my kind of country. Let us run a 
race here. Whoever gets ahead and stays 
there, must keep on running until the other 
calls on him to stop.' 

"'That suits me,' replied the Antelope, 'but 
what shall we bet this time? I don't want to 
waste my breath for nothing. I '11 tell you — 
let us bet our dew-claws.' 

"'Good. I '11 bet you my dew-claws against 
your own, that I can beat you again. Are you 
all ready ? — Go ! ' 

"Away they went over logs, over stones and 
across great gulches that cut the hills in two. 
On and on they ran, with the Deer far ahead 
of the Antelope. Both were getting tired, 
when the Antelope called: 

171 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'Hi, there — you ! Stop, you can beat me. 
I give up.' 

**So the Deer stopped and waited until the 
Antelope came up to him, and they both laughed 
over the fun, but the Antelope had to give the 
Deer his dew-claws, and now he goes without 
himself. The Deer wears dew-claws and always 
wil-, '^ecause of that race, but on his liver there 
is no gall, while the Antelope carries a gall- 
sack like the other animals with cloven hoofs. 

"That is all of that story, but it is too late 
to tell you another to-night. If you will come 
to-morrow evening, I will tell you of some trouble 
that 0ld-m3.n got into once. He deserved it, 
for he was wicked, as you shall see. Ho!" 



172 




,^%^^ 




WHY THE INDIANS WHIP THE 

BUFFALO-BERRIES FROM 

THE BUSHES 



WHY THE INDIANS WHIP THE 

BUFFALO-BERRIES FROM 

THE BUSHES 

'T^HE Indian believes that all things live 
-■- again; that all were created by one and 
the same power; that nothing was created in 
vain; and that in the life beyond the grave he 
will know all things that he knew here. In 
that other world he expects to make his living 
easier, and not suffer from hunger or cold; 
therefore, all things that die must go to his 
heaven, in order that he may be supplied with 
the necessities of life. 

The sun is not the Indian's God, but a per- 
sonification of the Deity; His greatest mani- 
festation; His light. 

The Indian believes that to each of His crea- 
tions God gave some peculiar power, and that 

175 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the possessors of these special favors are His 
lieutenants and keepers of the several special 
attributes; such as wisdom, cunning, speed, 
and the knowledge of healing wounds. These 
wonderful gifts, he knew, were bestowed as 
favors by a common God, and therefore he re- 
vered these powers, and, without jealousy, paid 
tribute thereto. 

The bear was great in war, because before 
the horse came, he would sometimes charge the 
camps and kill or wound many people. Al- 
though many arrows were sent into his huge 
carcass, he seldom died. Hence the Indian was 
sure that the bear could heal his wounds. 
That the bear possessed a great knowledge of 
roots and berries, the Indian knew, for he often 
saw him digging the one and stripping the oth- 
ers from the bushes. The buffalo, the beaver, 
the wolf, and the eagle — each possessed strange 
powers that commanded the Indian's admira- 
tion and respect, as did many other things in 
creation. 

176 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

If about to go to war, the Indian did not 
ask his God for aid — oh, no. He reaUzed that 
God made his enemy, too; and that if He de- 
sired that enemy's destruction, it would be ac- 
complished without man's aid. So the Indian 
sang his song to the bear, prayed to the bear, 
and thus invoked aid from a brute, and not his 
God, when he sought to destroy his fellows. 

Whenever the Indian addressed the Great 
God, his prayer was for life, and life alone. He 
is the most religious man I have ever known, 
as well as the most superstitious; and there are 
stories dealing with his religious faith that are 
startling, indeed. 

**It is the wrong time of year to talk about 
berries," said War Eagle, that night in the 
lodge, "but I shall tell you why your mothers 
whip the buffalo-berries from the bushes. Old- 
man was the one who started it, and our people 
have followed his example ever since. Ho! 
0/^-man made a fool of himself that day. 

"It was the time when buffalo-berries are 

177 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

red and ripe. All of the bushes along the rivers 
were loaded with them, and our people were 
about to gather what they needed, when Old- 
man changed things, as far as the gathering 
was concerned. 

"He was travelling along a river, and hungry, 
as he always was. Standing on the bank of 
that river, he saw great clusters of red, ripe 
buffalo-berries in the water. They were larger 
than any berries he had ever seen, and he 
said: 

" * I guess I will get those berries. They look 
fine, and I need them. Besides, some of the 
people will see them and get them, if I don't.' 

"He jumped into the water; looked for the 
berries; but they were not there. For a time 
OW-man stood in the river and looked for the 
berries, but they were gone. 

"After a while he climbed out on the bank 
again, and when the water got smooth once 
more there were the berries — the same berries, 
in the same spot in the water. 

178 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"*Ho! — that is a funny thing. I wonder 
where they hid that time. I must have those 
berries ! * he said to himself. 

" In he went again — splashing the water like 
a Grizzly Bear. He looked about him and the 
berries were gone again. The water was rip- 
pling about him, but there were no berries at 
all. He felt on the bottom of the river but 
they were not there. 

***Well/ he said, *I will climb out and 
watch to see where they come from; then I 
shall grab them when I hit the water next 
time.' 

"He did that; but he couldn't tell where 
the berries came from. As soon as the water 
settled and became smooth — there were the 
berries — the same as before. Ho ! — Old-ma.n 
was wild; he was angry, I tell you. And in he 
went flat on his stomach ! He made an awful 
splash and mussed the water greatly; but there 
were no berries. 

"*I know what I shall do. I will stay right 

179 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

here and wait for those berries; that is what 
I shall do'; and he did. 

"He thought maybe somebody was looking 
at him and would laugh, so he glanced along 
the bank. And there, right over the water, he 
saw the same bunch of berries on some tall 
bushes. Don't you see? Old-rmn saw the 
shadow of the berry-bunch; not the berries. 
He saw the red shadow-berries on the water; 
that was all, and he was such a fool he didn't 
know they were not real. 

"Well, now he was angry in truth. Now he 
was ready for war. He climbed out on the 
bank again and cut a club. Then he went at 
the buffalo-berry bushes and pounded them till 
all of the red berries fell upon the ground — 
till the branches were bare of berries. 

"'There,' he said, 'that's what you get for 
making a fool of the man who made you. You 
shall be beaten every year as long as you live, 
to pay for what you have done; you and your 
children, too.' 

180 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"That is how it all came about, and that is 
why your mothers whip the buffalo-berry bushes 
and then pick the berries from the ground. 
Ho!" 



181 



OLD-MAN AND THE FOX 




^^^ 



'\ 



OLD-MAN AND THE FOX 

I AM sure that the plains Indian never made 
nor used the stone arrow-head. I have 
heard white men say that they had seen In- 
dians use them; but I have never found an In- 
dian that ever used them himself, or knew of 
their having been used by his people. Thirty 
years ago I knew Indians, intimately, who were 
nearly a hundred years old, who told me that 
the stone arrow-head had never been in use in 
their day, nor had their fathers used them in 
their own time. Indians find these arrow- 
points just as they find the stone mauls and 
hammers, which I have seen them use thou- 
sands of times, but they do not make them any 
more than they make the stone mauls and 
hammers. In the old days, both the head of 
the lance and the point of the arrow were of 
bone; even knives were of bone, but some other 

185 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

people surely made the arrow-points that are 
scattered throughout the United States and 
Europe, I am told. 

One night I asked War Eagle if he had ever 
known the use, by Indians, of the stone arrow- 
head, and he said he had not. He told me that 
just across the Canadian line there was a small 
lake, surrounded by trees, wherein there was an 
island covered with long reeds and grass. All 
about the edge of this island were willows that 
grew nearly to the water, but intervening there 
was a narrow beach of stones. Here, he said, 
the stone arrow-heads had been made by little 
ghost-people who lived there, and he assured 
me that he had often seen these strange little 
beings when he was a small boy. Whenever 
his people were camped by this lake the old 
folks waked the children at daybreak to see the 
inhabitants of this strange island; and always 
when a noise was made, or the sun came up, 
the little people hid away. Often he had seen 
their heads above the grass and tiny willows, 

186 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

and his grandfather had told him that all the 
stone arrow-heads had been made on that 
island, and in war had been shot all over the 
world, by magic bows. 

"No," he said, "I shall not lie to you, my 
friend. I never saw those little people shoot 
an arrow, but there are so many arrows there, 
and so many pieces of broken ones, that it 
proves that my grandfather was right in what 
he told me. Besides, nobody could ever sleep 
on that island." 

I have heard a legend wherein 0ld-m3.n, in 
the beginning, killed an animal for the people 
to eat, and then instructed them to use the ribs 
of the dead brute to make knives and arrow- 
points. I have seen lance-heads, made from 
shank bones, that were so highly polished that 
they resembled pearl, and I have in my posses- 
sion bone arrow-points such as were used long 
ago. Indians do not readily forget their tribal 
history, and I have photographed a war-bonnet, 
made of twisted buffalo hair, that was manu- 

187 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

factured before the present owner's people had, 
or ever saw, the horse. The owner of this 
bonnet has told me that the stone arrow-head 
was never used by Indians, and that he knew 
that ghost-people made and used them when 
the world was young. 

The bow of the plains Indian was from thirty- 
six to forty-four inches long, and made from 
the wood of the choke-cherry tree. Sometimes 
bows were made from the service (or sarvice) 
berry bush, and this bush furnished the best 
material for arrows. I have seen hickory bows 
among the plains Indians, too, and these were 
longer and always straight, instead of being 
fashioned like Cupid's weapon. These hickory 
bows came from the East, of course, and through 
trading, reached the plains country. I have 
also seen bows covered with the skins of the 
bull-snake, or wound with sinew, and bows 
have been made from the horns of the elk, in 
the early days, after a long course of prepara- 
tion. 

188 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

Before Lewis and Clark crossed this vast 
country, the Blackfeet had traded with the 
Hudson Bay Company, and steel knives and 
lance-heads, bearing the names of English 
makers, still remain to testify to the relations 
existing, in those days, between those famous 
traders and men of the Piegan, Blood, and 
Blackfoot tribes, although it took many years 
for traders on our own side of the line to gain 
their friendship. Indeed, trappers and traders 
blamed the Hudson Bay Company for the feel- 
ing of hatred held by the three tribes of Black- 
feet for the "Americans"; and there is no doubt 
that they were right to some extent, although 
the killing of the Blackfoot warrior by Captain 
Lewis in 1805 may have been largely to blame 
for the trouble. Certain it is that for many 
years after the killing, the Blackfeet kept 
traders and trappers on the dodge unless they 
were Hudson Bay men, and in 1810 drove the 
"American" trappers and traders from their 
fort at Three-Forks. 

189 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

It was early when we gathered in War Eagle's 
lodge, the children and I, but the story- telling 
began at once. 

"Now I shall tell you a story that will show 
you how little Old-man cared for the welfare of 
others," said War Eagle. 

"It happened in the fall, this thing I shall 
tell you, and the day was warm and bright. 
Old-man and his brother the Red Fox were trav- 
elling together for company. They were on a 
hillside when 0/^-Man said: *I am hungry. 
Can you not kill a Rabbit or something for us 
to eat? The way is long, and I am getting 
old, you know. You are swift of foot and 
cunning, and there are Rabbits among these 
rocks.' 

"'Ever since morning came I have watched 
for food, but the moon must be wrong or some- 
thing, for I see nothing that is good to eat,' 
replied the Fox. 'Besides that, my medicine is 
bad and my heart is weak. You are great, and 
I have heard you can do most anything. Many 

190 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

snows have known your footprints, and the 
snows make us all wise. I think you are the 
one to help, not 1/ 

'** Listen, brother,' said Old-man, *l have 
neither bow nor lance — nothing to use in hunt- 
ing. Your weapons are ever with you — your 
great nose and your sharp teeth. Just as we 
came up this hill I saw two great Buffalo-Bulls. 
You were not looking, but I saw them, and if 
you will do as I want you to we shall have 
plenty of meat. This is my scheme; I shall 
pull out all of your hair, leaving your body 
white and smooth, like that of the fish. I shall 
leave only the white hair that grows on the tip 
of your tail, and that will make you funny to 
look at. Then you are to go before the Bulls 
and commence to dance and act foolish. Of 
course the Bulls will laugh at you, and as soon 
as they get to laughing you must act sillier 
than ever. That will make them laugh so hard 
that they will fall down and laugh on the 
ground. When they fall, I shall come upon 

191 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

them with my knife and kill them. Will you 
do as I suggest, brother, or will you starve?' 

"'What! Pull out my hair? I shall freeze 
with no hair on my body, Old-man. No — I 
will not suffer you to pull my hair out when the 
winter is so near,' cried the Fox. 

*"Ho! It is vanity, my brother, not fear 
of freezing. If you will do this we shall have 
meat for the winter, and a fire to keep us warm. 
See, the wind is in the south and warm. There 
is no danger of freezing. Come, let me do it,' 
replied Old-rmn. 

'''Well — if you are sure that I won't freeze, 
all right,' said the Fox, 'but I'll bet I'll be 
sorry.' 

"So OW-man pulled out all of the Fox's hair, 
leaving only the white tip that grew near the 
end of his tail. Poor little Red Fox shivered 
in the warm breeze that Old-man told about, 
and kept telling Old-man that the hair-pulling 
hurt badly. Finally 0/^-man finished the job 
and laughed at the Fox, saying : ' Why, you make 

192 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

me laugh, too. Now go and dance before the 
Bulls, and I shall watch and be ready for my 
part of the scheme.' 

** Around the hill went the poor Red Fox and 
found the Bulls. Then he began to dance be- 
fore them as OW-man had told him. The Bulls 
took one look at the hairless Fox and began to 
laugh. My! How they did laugh, and then 
the Red Fox stood upon his hind legs and 
danced some more; acted sillier, as 0/^-man 
had told him. Louder and louder laughed the 
Bulls, until they fell to the ground with their 
breath short from the laughing. The Red Fox 
kept at his antics lest the Bulls get up before 
Old-man reached them; but soon he saw him 
coming, with a knife in his hand. 

"Running up to the Bulls, 0/fif-man plunged 
his knife into their hearts, and they died. 
Into the ground ran their blood, and then Old- 
man laughed and said: 'Ho, I am the smart 
one. I am the real hunter. I depend on my 
head for meat — ha ! — ha ! — ha ! ' 

193 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

'*Then Old-man began to dress and skin the 
Bulls, and he worked hard and long. In fact 
it was nearly night when he got the work all 
done. 

"Poor little Red Fox had stood there all the 
time, and 0ld-m3.n never noticed that the wind 
had changed and was coming from the north. 
Yes, poor Red Fox stood there and spoke no 
word; said nothing at all, even when Old-man 
had finished. 

'"Hi, there, you! what's the matter with 
you ? Are you sorry that we have meat ? Say, 
answer me ! ' 

**But the Red Fox was frozen stiff — was 
dead. Yes, the north wind had killed him 
while 0/^-man worked at the skinning. The Fox 
had been caught by the north wind naked, 
and was dead. 0/^-man built a fire and warmed 
his hands; that was all he cared for the Red 
Fox, and that is all he cared for anybody. He 
might have known that no person could stand 
the north wind without a robe; but as long 

194 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

as he was warm himself — that was all he 
wanted. 

"That is all of that story. To-morrow night 
I shall tell you why the birch-tree wears those 
slashes in its bark. That was some of Old- 
man's work, too. Ho!" 



195 




WHY THE BIRCH-TREE WEARS 
THE SLASHES IN ITS BARK 



WHY THE BIRCH-TREE WEARS 
THE SLASHES IN ITS BARK 

THE white man has never understood the 
Indian, and the example set the Western 
tribes of the plains by our white brethren has 
not been such as to inspire the red man with 
either confidence or respect for our laws or our 
religion. The fighting trapper, the border ban- 
dit, the horse-thief and rustler, in whose stomach 
legitimately acquired beef would cause colic — 
were the Indians' first acquaintances who wore 
a white skin, and he did not know that they 
were not of the best type. Being outlaws in 
every sense, these men sought shelter from the 
Indian in the wilderness; and he learned of 
their ways about his lodge-fire, or in battle, 
often provoked by the white ruffian in the hope 
of gain. They lied to the Indian — these first 
white acquaintances, and in after-years, the 

199 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

great Government of the United States lied and 
lied again, until he has come to believe that 
there is no truth in the white man's heart. 
And I don't blame him. 

The Indian is a charitable man. I don't be- 
lieve he ever refused food and shelter or abused 
a visitor. He has never been a bigot, and con- 
cedes to every other man the right to his own 
beliefs. Further than that, the Indian believes 
that every man's religion and belief is right 
and proper for that man's self. 

It was blowing a gale and snow was being 
driven in fine flakes across the plains when we 
went to the lodge for a story. Every minute 
the weather was growing colder, and an early 
fall storm of severity was upon us. The wind 
seemed to add to the good nature of our host 
as he filled and passed me the pipe. 

"This is the night I was to tell you about the 
Birch-Tree, and the wind will help to make 
you understand," said War Eagle after we had 
finished smoking. 

200 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Of course," he continued, "this all happened 
in the summer-time when the weather was 
warm, very warm. Sometimes, you know, 
there are great winds in the summer, too. 

"It was a hot day, and Old-mdni was trying 
to sleep, but the heat made him sick. He wan- 
dered to a hilltop for air; but there was no 
air. Then he went down to the river and 
found no relief. He travelled to the timber- 
lands, and there the heat was great, although 
he found plenty of shade. The travelling made 
him warmer, of course, but he wouldn't stay 
still. 

"By and by he called to the winds to blow, 
and they commenced. First they didn't blow 
very hard, because they were afraid they might 
make 0ld-m3.n angry, but he kept crying: 

" * Blow harder — harder — harder ! Blow 
worse than ever you blew before, and send this 
heat away from the world.' 

"So, of course, the winds did blow harder — 
harder than they ever had blown before. 

201 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'Bend and break, Fir-Tree!' cried Old-man, 
and the Fir-Tree did bend and break. 'Bend 
and break, Pine-Tree ! ' and the Pine-Tree did 
bend and break. 'Bend and break, Spruce- 
Tree !' and the Spruce-Tree did bend and break. 
'Bend and break, O Birch-Tree!' and the 
Birch-Tree did bend, but it wouldn't break — 
no, sir ! — it wouldn't break ! 

"'Ho! Birch-Tree, won't you mind me? 
Bend and break ! I tell you,' but all the Birch- 
Tree would do was to bend. 

"It bent to the ground; it bent double to 
please Old-man, but it would not break. 

"'Blow harder, wind!' cried Old-man, 'blow 
harder and break the Birch-Tree.' The wind 
tried to blow harder, but it couldn't, and that 
made the thing worse, because Old-man was so 
angry he went crazy. 'Break! I tell you — 
break ! ' screamed 0/^-man to the Birch-Tree. 

"'I won't break,' replied the Birch; 'I shall 
never break for any wind. I will bend, but I 
shall never, never break.' 

202 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"*You won't, hey?* cried Old-ma.n, and he 
rushed at the Birch-Tree with his hunting-knife. 
He grabbed the top of the Birch because it was 
touching the ground, and began slashing the 
bark of the Birch-Tree with the knife. All up 
and down the trunk of the tree Old-rmn slashed, 
until the Birch was covered with the knife 
slashes. 

"'There! that is for not minding me. That 
will do you good ! As long as time lasts you 
shall always look like that, Birch-Tree; always 
be marked as one who will not mind its maker. 
Yes, and all the Birch-Trees in the world shall 
have the same marks forever.' They do, too. 
You have seen them and have wondered why 
the Birch-Tree is so queerly marked. Now you 
know. 

"That is all — Ho!" 



203 



^irmf^if/^lfi'i'''' 




MISTAKES OF OLi)-MAN 



MISTAKES OF OLD-MAN 

\ LL night the storm raged, and in the 
-^ ^ morning the plains were white with snow. 
The sun came and the light was blinding, but 
the hunters were abroad early, as usual. 

That day the children came to my camp, 
and I told them several stories that appeal to 
white children. They were deeply interested, 
and asked many questions. Not until the 
hunters returned did my visitors leave. 

That night War Eagle told us of the mistakes 
of OW-man. He said: 

''Old-man made a great many mistakes in 
making things in the world, but he worked un- 
til he had everything good. I told you at the 
beginning that 0ld-m3.n made mistakes, but I 
didn't tell you what they were, so now I shall 
tell you. 

207 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"One of the things he did that was wrong, 
was to make the Big-Hom to Uve on the plains. 
Yes, he made him on the plains and turned him 
loose, to make his living there. Of course the 
Big-Hom couldn't run on the plains, and Old- 
man wondered what was wrong. Finally, he 
said : * Come here, Big-Horn ! ' and the Big- 
Hom came to him. 0/^-man stuck his arm 
through the circle his homs made, and dragged 
the Big-Hom far up into the mountains. There 
he set him free again, and sat down to watch 
him. Ho! It made Old-msM dizzy to watch 
the Big-Horn mn about on the ragged cliffs. 
He saw at once that this was the country the 
Big-Hom liked, and he left him there. Yes, 
he left him there forever, and there he stays, 
seldom coming down to the lower country. 

''While 0/^-man was waiting to see what the 
Big-Horn would do in the high mountains, he 
made an Antelope and set him free with the 
Big-Horn. Ho! But the Antelope stumbled 
and fell down among the rocks. He couldn't 

208 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

run at all; could hardly stand up. So Old- 
man called to the Antelope to come back to 
him, and the Antelope did come to him. Then 
he called to the Big-Horn, and said: 

"'You are all right, I guess, but this one 
isn't, and I '11 have to take-him somewhere else.' 

"He dragged the Antelope down to the 
prairie country, and set him free there. Then 
he watched him a minute; that was as long as 
the Antelope was in sight, for he was afraid 
OW-man might take him back to the mountains. 

"He said: *I guess that fellow was made for 
the plains, all right, so I '11 leave him there ' ; 
and he did. That is why the Antelope always 
stays on the plains, even to-day. He likes it 
better. 

"That wasn't a very long story; sometime 
when you get older I will tell you some dif- 
ferent stories, but that will be all for this time, 
I guess. Ho!'* 



209 




HOW THE MAN FOUND HIS MATE 



I 



HOW THE MAN FOUND HIS MATE 

EACH tribe has its own stories. Most of 
them deal with the same subjects, differing 
only in immaterial particulars. 

Instead of squirrels in the timber, the Black- 
feet are sure they were prairie-dogs that Old- 
man roasted that time when he made the 
mountain-lion long and lean. The Chippewas 
and Crees insist that they were squirrels that 
were cooked and eaten, but one tribe is essen- 
tially a forest-people and the other lives on 
the plains — hence the difference. 

Some tribes will not wear the feathers of the 
owl, nor will they have anything to do with 
that bird, while others use his feathers freely. 

The forest Indian wears the soft-soled moc- 
casin, while his brother of the plains covers the 
bottoms of his footwear with rawhide, because 
of the cactus and prickly-pear, most likely. 

213 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

The door of the lodge of the forest Indian 
reaches to the ground, but the plains Indian 
makes his lodge skin to reach all about the cir- 
cle at the bottom, because of the wind. 

One night in War Eagle's lodge. Other- 
person asked: **Why don't the Bear have a 
tail, grandfather?" 

War Eagle laughed and said: "Our people 
do not know why, but we believe he was made 
that way at the beginning, although I have 
heard men of other tribes say that the Bear 
lost his tail while fishing. 

" I don't know how true it is, but I have been 
told that a long time ago the Bear was fishing 
in the winter, and the Fox asked him if he had 
any luck. 

"'No,' replied the Bear, *I can't catch a 
fish.' 

"'Well,' said the Fox, 'if you will stick your 
long tail down through this hole in the ice, 
and sit very still, I am sure you will catch a 
fish/ 

214 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"So the Bear stuck his tail through the hole 
in the ice, and the Fox told him to sit still, till 
he called him; then the Fox went off, pretending 
to hunt along the bank. It was mighty cold 
weather, and the water froze all about the 
Bear's tail, yet he sat still, waiting for the Fox 
to call him. Yes, the Bear sat so still and so 
long that his tail was frozen in the ice, but he 
didn't know it. When the Fox thought it was 
time, he called: 

***Hey, Bear, come here quick — quick! I 
have a Rabbit in this hole, and I want you to 
help me dig him out.' Ho! The Bear tried 
to get up, but he couldn't. 

"'Hey, Bear, come here — there are two 
Rabbits in this hole,' called the Fox. 

"The Bear pulled so hard to get away from 
the ice, that he broke his tail off short to his 
body. Then the Fox ran away laughing at the 
Bear. 

"I hardly believe that story, but once I 
heard an old man who visited my father from 

215 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the country far east of here, tell it. I remem- 
bered it. But I can't say that I know it is 
true, as I can the others. 

"When I told you the story of how OW-man 
made the world over, after the water had made 
its war upon it, I told you how the first man 
and woman were made. There is another 
story of how the first man found his wife, and 
I will tell you that.-— — «* 
\/* After Old-man had made a man to look 
like himself, he left him to live with the Wolves, 
and went away. The man had a hard time of 
it, with no clothes to keep him warm, and no 
wife to help him, so he went out looking for 
Old-man. 

"It took the man a long time to find Old- 
man's lodge, but as soon as he got there he 
went right in and said: 

"*0/^-man, you have made me and left me 
to live with the Wolf-people. I don't like 
them at all. They give me scraps of meat to 
eat and won't build a fire. They have wives, 

216 




"He went up on ihe sleep hillside and commenced to roll big rocks 
down upon her lodge" 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

but I don't want a Wolf-woman. I think you 
should take better care of me.' 

"'Well,' replied Old-man, *I was just waiting 
for you to come to see me. I have things fixed 
for you. You go down this river until you come 
to a steep hillside. There you will see a lodge. 
Then I will leave you to do the rest. Go!' 

"The man started and travelled all that 
day. When night came he camped and ate 
some berries that grew near the river. The 
next morning he started down the river again, 
looking for the steep hillside and the lodge. 
Just before sundown, the man saw a fine lodge 
near a steep hillside, and he knew that was 
the lodge he was looking for; so he crossed the 
river and went into the lodge. 

"Sitting by the fire inside, was a woman. 
She was dressed in buckskin clothes, and was 
cooking some meat that smelled good to the 
man, but when she saw him without any 
clothes, she pushed him out of the lodge, and 
dropped the door. 

217 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Things didn't look very good to that man, 
I tell you, but to get even with the woman, he 
went up on the steep hillside and commenced 
to roll big rocks down upon her lodge. He kept 
this up until one of the largest rocks knocked 
down the lodge, and the woman ran out, cry- 
ing. 

"When the man heard the woman crying, 
it made him sorry and he ran down the hill to 
her. She sat down on the ground, and the 
man ran to where she was and said: 

"*I am sorry I made you cry, woman. I will 
help you fix your lodge. I will stay with you, 
if you will only let me.' 

"That pleased the woman, and she showed 
the man how to fix up the lodge and gather 
some wood for the fire. Then she let him come 
inside and eat. Finally, she made him some 
clothes, and they got along very well, after 
that. 

"That is how the man found his wife — Ho !" 



218 




DREAMS 



DREAMS 

AS soon as manhood is attained, the young 
Indian must secure his "charm," or "medi- 
cine." After a sweat-bath, he retires to some 
lonely spot, and there, for four days and nights, 
if necessary, he remains in solitude. During 
this time he eats nothing; drinks nothing; but 
spends his time invoking the Great Mystery for 
the boon of a long life. In this state of mind, 
he at last sleeps, perhaps dreams. If a dream 
does not come to him, he abandons the task for 
a time, and later on will take another sweat- 
bath and try again. Sometimes dangerous 
cliffs, or other equally uncomfortable places, 
are selected for dreaming, because the surround- 
ing terrors impress themselves upon the mind, 
and even in slumber add to the vividness of 
dreams. 

221 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

At last the dream comes, and in it some bird 
or animal appears as a helper to the dreamer, 
in trouble. Then he seeks that bird or animal; 
kills a specimen; and if a bird, he stuffs its skin 
with moss and forever keeps it near him. If 
an animal, instead of a bird, appears in the 
dream, the Indian takes his hide, claws, or teeth; 
and throughout his life never leaves it behind 
him, unless in another dream a greater charm 
is offered. If this happens, he discards the old 
"medicine " for the new; but such cases are rare. 

Sometimes the Indian will deck his "medi- 
cine-bundle" with fanciful trinkets and quill- 
work. At other times the "bundle" is kept 
forever out of the sight of all uninterested per- 
sons, and is altogether unadorned. But "medi- 
cine" is necessary; without it, the Indian is 
afraid of his shadow. 

An old chief, who had been in many battles, 
once told me his great dream, withholding the 
name of the animal or bird that appeared therein 
and became his "medicine." 

222 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

He said that when he was a boy of twelve 
years, his father, who was chief of his tribe, 
told him that it was time that he tried to dream. 
After his sweat-bath, the boy followed his 
father without speaking, because the postulant 
must not converse or associate with other 
humans between the taking of the bath and 
the finished attempt to dream. On and on 
into the dark forest the father led, followed by 
the naked boy, till at last the father stopped 
on a high hill, at the foot of a giant pine-tree. 

By signs the father told the boy to climb the 
tree and to get into an eagle's nest that was on 
the topmost boughs. Then the old man went 
away, in order that the boy might reach the 
nest without coming too close to his human 
conductor. 

Obediently the boy climbed the tree and sat 
upon the eagle's nest on the top. "I could see 
very far from that nest," he told me. "The 
day was warm and I hoped to dream that night, 
but the wind rocked the tree top, and the 

223 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

darkness made me so much afraid that I did 
not sleep. 

"On the fourth night there came a terrible 
thunder-storm, with lightning and much wind. 
The great pine groaned and shook until I was 
sure it must fall. All about it, equally strong 
trees went down with loud crashings, and in the 
dark there were many awful sounds — sounds 
that I sometimes hear yet. Rain came, and I 
grew cold and more afraid. I had eaten noth- 
ing, of course, and I was weak — so weak and 
tired, that at last I slept, in the nest. I dreamed ; 
yes, it was a wonderful dream that came to me, 
and it has most all come to pass. Part is yet 
to come. But come it surely will. 

"First I saw my own people in three wars. 
Then I saw the Buffalo disappear in a hole in 
the ground, followed by many of my people. 
Then I saw the whole world at war, and many 
flags of white men were in this land of ours. It 
was a terrible war, and the fighting and the blood 
made me sick in my dream. Then, last of all, 

224 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

I saw a * person ' coming — coming across what 
seemed the plains. There were deep shadows 
all about him as he approached. This 'person' 
kept beckoning me to come to him, and at last 
I did go to him. 

'"Do you know who I am,' he asked me. 

"'No, "person," I do not know you. Who 
are you, and where is your country?' 

"'If you will Hsten to me, boy, you shall be 
a great chief and your people shall love you. 
If you do not listen, then I shall turn against 
you. My name is "Reason."' 

"As the 'person' spoke this last, he struck 
the ground with a stick he carried, and the blow 
set the grass afire. I have always tried to know 
that 'person.' I think I know him wherever he 
may be, and in any camp. He has helped me 
all my life, and I shall never turn against him 
— never." 

That was the old chief's dream and now a 
word about the sweat-bath. A small lodge is 
made of willows, by bending them and sticking 

225 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

the ends in the ground. A completed sweat- 
lodge is shaped like an inverted bowl, and in 
the centre is a small hole in the ground. The 
lodge is covered with robes, bark, and dirt, or 
anything that will make it reasonably tight. 
Then a fire is built outside and near the sweat- 
lodge, in which stones are heated. When the 
stones are ready, the bather crawls inside the 
sweat-lodge, and an assistant rolls the hot 
stones from the fire, and into the lodge. They 
are then rolled into the hole in the lodge and 
sprinkled with water. One cannot imagine a 
hotter vapor bath than this system produces, 
and when the bather has satisfied himself inside, 
he darts from the sweat-lodge into the river, 
winter or summer. This treatment killed thou- 
sands of Indians when the smallpox was brought 
to them from Saint Louis, in the early days. 

That night in the lodge War Eagle told a 
queer yam. I shall modify it somewhat, but in 
our own sacred history there is a similar tale, 
well known to all. He said: 

226 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"Once, a long time ago, two 'thunders' were 
travelling in the air. They came over a vil- 
lage of our people, and there stopped to look 
about. 

"In this village there was one fine, painted 
lodge, and in it there was an old man, an aged 
woman, and a beautiful young woman with 
wonderful hair. Of course the 'thunders' could 
look through the lodge skin and see all that 
was inside. One of them said to the other: 
'Let us marry that young woman, and never 
tell her about it.' 

'"All right,' replied the other 'thunder.' 'I 
am willing, for she is the finest young woman 
in all the village. She is good in her heart, 
and she is honest.' 

"So they married her, without telling her 
about it, and she became the mother of twin 
boys. When these boys were bom, they sat 
up and told their mother and the other people 
that they were not people, but were 'thunders,' 
and that they would grow up quickly. 

227 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

"'When we shall have been on earth a while, 
we shall marry, and stay until we each have 
four sons of our own, then we shall go away 
and again become "thunders,"* they said. 

** It all came to pass, just as they said it would. 
When they had married good women and each 
had four sons, they told the people one day 
that it was time for them to go away for- 
ever. 

"There was much sorrow among the people, 
for the twins were good men and taught many 
good things which we have never forgotten, but 
everybody knew it had to be as they said. 
While they lived with us, these twins could 
heal the sick and tell just what was going to 
happen on earth. 

"One day at noon the twins dressed them- 
selves in their finest clothes and went out to a 
park in the forest. All the people followed 
them and saw them lie down on the ground in 
the park. The people stayed in the timber 
that grew about the edge of the park, and 

228 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

watched them until clouds and mists gathered 
about and hid them from view. 

"It thundered loudly and the winds blew; 
trees fell down; and when the mists and clouds 
cleared away, they were gone — gone forever. 
But the people have never forgotten them, and 
my grandfather, who is in the ground near 
Rocker, was a descendant from one of the sons 
of the 'thunders.' Ho!" 



229 



RETROSPECTION 



8 




s^-Si 


















RETROSPECTION 

IT was evening in the bad-lands, and the red 
sun had slipped behind the far-off hills. 
The sundown breeze bent the grasses in the 
coulees, and curled tiny dust-clouds on the 
barren knolls. Down in a gulch a clear, cool 
creek dallied its way toward the Missouri, where 
its water, bitter as gall, would be lost in the 
great stream. Here, where Nature forbids 
man to work his will, and where the she wolf 
dens and kills to feed her litter, an aged Indian 
stood near the scattered bones of two great 
buffalo-bulls. Time had bleached the skulls 
and whitened the old warrior's hair, but in the 
solitude he spoke to the bones as to a boyhood 
friend : 

"Ho! Buffalo, the years are long since you 
died, and your tribe, like mine, was even then 

233 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

shrinking fast, but you did not know it; would 
not believe it; though the signs did not lie. 
My father and his father knew your people, 
and when one night you went away, we thought 
you did but hide and would soon come back. 
The snows have come and gone many times 
since then, and still your people stay away. 
The young-men say that the great herds have 
gone to the Sand Hills, and that my father still 
has meat. They have told me that the white 
man, in his greed, has killed — and not for 
meat — all the Buffalo that our people knew. 
They have said that the great herds that made 
the ground tremble as they ran were slain in 
a few short years by those who needed not. 
Can this be true, when ever since there was a 
world, our people killed your kind, and still 
left herds that grew in numbers until they 
often blocked the rivers when they passed? 
Our people killed your kind that they them- 
selves might live, but never did they go to war 
against you. Tell me, do your people hide, or 

234 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

are the young-men speaking truth, and have 
your people gone with mine to Sand Hill shad- 
ows to come back no more?" 

"Ho! red man — my people all have gone. 
The young-men tell the truth and all my tribe 
have gone to feed among the shadow-hills, and 
your father still has meat. My people suffer 
from his arrows and his lance, yet there the 
herds increase as they did here, until the white 
man came and made his war upon us without 
cause or need. I was one of the last to die, and 
with my brother here fled to this forbidding 
country that I might hide; but one day when 
the snow was on the world, a white murderer 
followed on our trail, and with his noisy weapon 
sent our spirits to join the great shadow-herds. 
Meat? No, he took no meat, but from our 
quivering flesh he tore away the robes that 
Napa gave to make us warm, and left us for 
the Wolves. That night they came, and quar- 
relling, fighting, snapping 'mong themselves, 
left but our bones to greet the morning sun. 

235 



t 



INDIAN WHY STORIES 

These bones the Coyotes and the weaker ones 
did drag and scrape, and scrape again, until 
the last of flesh or muscle disappeared. Then 
the winds came and sang — and all was done." 



236 



VS^^ '"^V 



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